Against the Rules
by Veravine
Summary: A story of ancient times in the Pokemon realm, when battles were for boys, and for a girl's Pokemon to evolve meant to lose it forever.
1. From the Beginning

            "Xavier!" Julianne called.  "Xavier, where are you?"  She frowned.  "Oh, where is that annoyance!  _Xavier!_"

            "Don't bother," Avius snickered.  "He's gone for good this time.  Too much of your pampering."

            "I do _not_ pamper him!" Julianne snapped.  "You pamper that sheep of yours far more than I do Xavier!"

            "Sheep!" Avius shouted.  "Javelin is no _sheep_!"

            "He's a _sheep_!  He's white and fuzzy and _gentile_!"

            "Maybe you should take his example then, Juli_anne_!" Avius snapped.

            "Take that back!"

            "Make me!  Make me and _prove_ you're really a _brother_!"

            "Ooh, you _brat_!  _Xavier_!"

            "Javelin!"

            "Xavier!"

            A wiry ball of white fur rambled up to them, bronze metal brackets bracing its wrists.  "Javelin, good boy!"  Avius crooned, rubbing the Primape's head.  It growled happily.  "This is why you have to actually _train_ them, Juli_anne_," he sneered.  "Oh, right.  You're not allowed."

            "Go away, you little spore," Julianne snapped.  She pulled her robe around her.  "Wretched insect!"  She turned, storming off.

            "Don't go too far!" Avius called.

            "Shut up, you little slime!"

            "I'll tell Mother you went off!"

            "I'll tell her you called me a boy!"

            "I did not!"

            "Prove it!  I'm going to find Xavier!"

            "_Mother_!"

            "Brownie," Julianne muttered, heading into the garden.  Xavier was more than likely to be there.  "Xavier?  Xavier, where are you?  Xavier!"  No luck.  She walked out of the garden, still calling.  "Ooh, you pest, where are you?  _Xavier_!"  She frowned.  "_Xavier_!"  Silence.  Julianne bit her lip.  "Xavier, where are you?  Xavier!"

            "Bell...?"

            "No,  not you, Catcher."  She patted the Bellsprout.  "Have you seen Xavier?  It's getting late; I have to go inside."

            "Bell…"  Catcher lifted its bell-shaped head, turning it to the evening wind.  "Belllll… Bell!"  It scampered off on elongated, root-like legs.

            "You smell him?  Good, Catcher!  Thank you!"  She hurried to follow.  It was hardly a matter of ease: the Bellsprout could sprint through bushes and shrubs she had to bypass thanks to her wretched skirts.  Why couldn't girls wear something practical, like boys' trousers!  Why were girls trapped in so much cloth?

            Why were boys given all the freedoms?!  Practical clothes, public schooling, Pokémon trainerships?  How come girls were left with the housework, the little children, the boring lives trapped at home?

            Girls are no more than Pokémon, Julianne mused soberly.  Instead of pokéballs they are trapped in their homes, only to be released when their masters let them.  Whether their masters were their fathers, brothers, or husbands, where was the difference?  It was up to the women to please their masters just as it was for Pokémon.

            Did Pokémon ever resent that as much as she did? she wondered as she pushed her way through a bramble.  Did they ever feel trapped in their destiny to serve their master?

            "There you are, Xavier!" she crooned happily, pushing a bramble branch aside.  "It's time to go in, you silly.  Don't make me 'ball you."

            "Aaabra?" Xavier whispered sleepily, then yawned.  He reached toward her to be picked up.

            "Silly boy."  Julianne took him under the armpits, wrapping his arms around her neck and letting him wrap his legs around her waist.  "You need to find more accessible places to nap."

            "Ahhh."

            "That's my boy."  She rubbed her cheek against his, bringing a soft smile to both their faces.  "Don't you ever evolve, Xavier.  You can't be mine if you do."

            In her grandmother's memory, there was a time when only the wealthiest of women were allowed a Meowth, Eevee, or Jigglypuff.  Plant Pokémon found in the gardens of commoners were to be captured by neighborhood boys or professional trainers.

            All that changed when girls began keeping the plant Pokémon they found in their gardens in secret.  For three generations now, plant Pokémon steadily became a feminine acquisition, earning them, for the first time, the right to have Pokémon.

            After all, it kept the Pokémon from causing trouble, didn't it?

            Yet progress was slow.  Pokémon caught by girls never evolved, as the laws against women battling were extended to the Pokémon they called their own.  Those that did evolve, perhaps in a tussle with a wild Pokémon or another Pokémon within the same house, were confiscated, and given to the closest male relation willing to take it.

            Battle was not for women: not in war, not with Pokémon.  Women were to take care of the family, making a haven for their men from the battles they faced.

            "Don't ever evolve, Xavier.  Not ever."

            "Ab?"  Xavier opened his normally sleepy eyes wide.  "Abra!"

            "What is i-"  Julianne's question cut into a startled cry as someone shoved her from behind, knocking her on top of the poor Abra.  "Avius, you horrible little-!"  Again she was unable to finish, this time as a foot caught underneath her ribs.  

            Rolling over, she tried to take a breath in to scream, when a hand the texture of rawhide clamped over her mouth too tightly for her to close it.  "Shut you mouth so long as I tell ya and it won't get silenced, got me?" an Ekans-like voice hissed.  She nodded shakily.  Her eyes darted toward Xavier, crushed into the ground where she had fallen on him.  Where had Catcher gone?  Where was Avius when she needed him?!  She was thirty feet from her house!  Why wasn't anyone there to help her?

            Roughly, the Ekans-voiced man picked her up like a bundle of firewood, lugging her over to a covered cart.  What could this be happening to her for?  Her father was neither rich, nor into politics; he was nothing more than a common miller.  It couldn't be for ransom!

            Slave traders, then?  A trail of ice ran down her spine.  She couldn't be a slave!  She was freeborn, fourth child of Julian the Miller!

            Ekans-voice handed her off to two more people in the shadows of the cart, one of whom bound her hands painfully behind her, the other who covered the top of her head in a musty cloth.  She heard someone click their tongue, but it was not a Ponyta or Rapidash that  pulled the cart; the footsteps were a steady, heavy drum rather than the clip of hooves.  No wonder she had not heard it there.  Probably an evolved Nidoran, or perhaps a Rhydon.  Something that was of that size and build.  Her cousin's Rhydon walked with such a step.

            "Probably best to go to Orange with this one," she heard Ekans-voice mutter.  "None's likely to recognize her there.  Girls fetch high, too."

            "Orange's far," another, their voice more the chatter of a Raticate, pointed out.  "S'awful far t'send just a girl.  S'not likely she's been far from home 't all.  Johto's far enough, neh?"

            "Prices higher in Orange.  Like new blood out in the islands."  The third voice was that of the sections of an Onix grinding together.  "Ask fewer questions there."

            "Orange is too far!" Raticate insisted.  "Too far for one li'l girl.  Johto, just over the mounts.  That'd be best for it, no questions for a prime like this.  Nobody question their luck if she looks a slave by then."

            Julianne shuddered.  They _were_ slavers, then.  Why couldn't she have listened to Avius for once?  She choked down a sob: they wouldn't know she was scared.  She wouldn't let them know she was even there.

            Motionless but for when the cart rocked her, she waited.

            She would take any chance to escape.

            Get up!  Oh, hurry and get up, will you! 

            A whip slashed at his face.  It took some concentration to brush it aside with his muddled thoughts.  What… 

            Men, three by the scent.  They have Anne. 

            Anne?   He sat bolt upright, a movement any of his human family would have considered impossible given his usual sluggishness.  Where do they have her? he asked Catcher.

            The Bellsprout swayed with nervousness, virtually wringing its leaves.  At least it had stopped Vine Whipping him.  I tried to razor off the wheels but the axels were too thick.  Can you find her?  Is she too far? 

            How long has it been? 

            About an hour.  They had a Kangaskhan pulling a cart. 

            They could be miles from here…   He frowned, standing.  Teleport might get me to her… but I don't have much practice with it.  She's likely out of my range.  It'll take some time to catch up. 

            How can I help? 

            Try to explain to one of the others… any but that vain fool of a Primape… one of the others the humans understand, what has happened.  I'll do what I can. 

            How can the humans help if they don't know which way she's gone? 

            If I take you it'll be slower to reach her.  This is how you can help, Catcher.  Please. 

            Okay.  I'll try. 

            Thank you. 

            Be careful, Xavier.  Anne'll be counting on you. 

            I know. 

            _But if I have to take on that Kangaskhan, how will I win without evolving?_ he worried.  A Teleport leap later he was a hundred feet away, standing in the road.  The dust had long settled from the path the cart had taken, but the Kangaskhan's footprints were still clear enough to see.  Another leap; another hundred feet.  And another.  And a fourth… no footprints.  Backtracking, he found where the cart had gone off to the right of the road, across a stream.

            And another leap…

            Julianne didn't know how much time had passed before she slipped into a restless sleep.  The next she knew, she was being bullied to her feet.

            "Up with you!" Raticate snarled viciously.  "Don't be dawdling here!"  She could just see sunlight through the dun-colored cloth covering her head and half her face.  Her stomach was knotted with fear and hunger.  How long had she missed?  How could she possibly know?  "Move on!  Move on, now!"

            She fumbled for footing on loose rocks.  Where were they?  Heading to the Islands of the Orange Kingdom?  The hills of the Johto Empire?  Orange had the greater slave market, but as Raticate had pointed out, Johto was merely a mountain range away, not half an ocean.  No one would ever find her in either place: all her relatives had always been true to their Kantoan heritage.

            "You have the balls, do you?" she heard Ekans rasp.

            "'Course I got the balls," Onix rumbled.  "You ain't got no balls, but I got what balls we got."

            "Shuddup and get 'em up then!  Then the girl."

            Balls?  Pokémon poachers too, then!  What could be more valuable than apricorn-hewn pokéballs containing well-trained or rare Pokémon?

            "Should've got more girls this run," Raticate muttered.  "One's a sorry market."

            "More'n enough balls this run t' break even," Onix said.  "Girls' just icing anyways."

            "One'll fit good here," Ekans lisped, then rasped with laughter.  "More'n 'nough room f'r us t'make 'er slavish-like b'the time we're there."

            Julianne bit her lip.  How was she to know when she could run when she couldn't see?  She twisted her hands, trying to test her bonds, but did nothing more than burn her wrists with the rope tying them.

            "Wonder'f she's pertier in daylight," Raticate growled; a finger poked her cheek through the bag.

            "Wait'll we're high t'see," Onix rumbled.  "When none'll see but us, and care neither."  She bit her lip harder to keep from whimpering.

            "Yak!"  She felt the hand leading her nearly jerk her off her feet as Raticate apparently fell.  A chance to escape!  But which way to go?  She couldn't see the other two!

            "What's wrong wi' ya?"  Ekans hissed, then laughed raspingly again.  "Fabian's tripped himself an Abra!  Scrawny l'il Ab.  Pick 'im up, Fab; y'look good toge'er."

            "Shuddup, Percy!" Raticate (Fabian?) snapped.  "Dumb lazy wretch o' a Poke.  Get o'r… hey!  Hol' still ya rotten Abra!"

            Julianne arched her arms, fighting to reach the back of the bag over her head.  Could it be Xavier distracting them?  The odds of another Abra coming to her rescue was unlikely.  Good little Xavier!  With a quiet cry of pain she managed to arch her arms just enough to take the lip of the bag in her fingers.  Tilting her head back as far as she could, the bag slipped halfway off.  It caught painfully on her nose before finally sliding away.

            It had to be nearing afternoon; the cart stood idle, the Kangaskhan no where in sight.  They had filled a balloon made from mismatched cloths with the smoke and air of a small fire grill.  The balloon was tied to the cart as a mismatched hot-air balloon.

            To the west were the rugged snow-topped peaks of mountains; far below, an endless-looking expanse of water.  Which had the evil men chosen, the Orange Kingdom or Johto Empire?  Why had she fallen asleep?!

            "Eh, th' girl's gettin' 'way!" Onix-voice shouted.  "F'get th' Abra!"

            "No where t' run girlie!" Fabian sniggered, pulling a Heavy Ball from the pouch on his belt.  "Kangaskhan, go!"

            The Heavy Ball cracked open, and with a blaze of white light the great pouched Pokémon solidified from its imprisonment.  It was without an infant, but Julianne knew better than to be relieved at that fact.  Kangaskhan were fast when they wanted to be.  "Xavier, come on!" she screamed.  "Run!"

            "Xavier?" Percy echoed.

            "Danged Abra's hers!" Onix roared.  "Get 'er and let's get!  It musta followed!"

            A sudden weight on her back made Julianne shriek before she realized it was Xavier, appearing piggyback.  He gripped her waist with his legs; she could feel his little fingers working at the knots binding her hands.  "Good boy, Xavier!" she whispered to him, running as fast as she could.  Where could she escape the Kangaskhan?  The mountains were out of the question; for speed she ran as fast as she dared down the sharp slope leading toward the water.

            Behind her, the Kangaskhan roared as Fabian ordered it to pursue.  Between the treacherous slope and the weight of Xavier on her back, how was she to outrun it?  "Can you still Teleport, Xavier?" she gasped as her hands came free.  His weakened whimper worried her.  He must have followed the whole day without rest: he had to be feeling terrible.  If he had spent the entire day Teleporting in pursuit, he had to be exhausted both from lack of sleep and from overusing his powers.  Poor Xavier!  But how else were they to escape?

            Julianne screamed as a far greater weight fell upon her shoulders: the Kangaskhan had her!  She felt Xavier shift, pushing her away and shoving himself backwards, into the Kangaskhan's arms.  "Xavier!"  Stumbling, she fell, rolling before coming to a painful stop against a jutting rock.

            Under other circumstances, the sight of a Kangaskhan with an Abra in its pouch might have been funny, but now it terrified her.  The Kangaskhan slammed a fist down, barely missing as Xavier leaped out.  He stumbled for footing, nearly getting stomped in the process.  He leapt between the low-slung Pokémon's legs on all fours, rolling before stumbling again to his feet.

            "Xavier, get out of there!" Julianne screamed.  The two smaller men were fast approaching, Onix-voice still minding the balloon.  She pulled herself painfully to her feet, doing her best to ignore the burn of her scrapes and the searing ache in her side.  Her robe was all but destroyed, dress torn almost to ribbons, and she felt as if her flesh wasn't much better off than either.  Xavier was fast, but he was looking as worn out as she felt.  The Kangaskhan was getting closer with each swing.  He couldn't keep this up!  "Xavier!"  She shrieked as the Kangaskhan caught him in the side of his head with its tail, sending him sprawling.  "Xavier, no!"

            "C'mon, girlie, we don't want no trouble from you," Percy sneered, rubbing his hands together.  "You just come along quiet-like and it'll be easier for ya, ya know?"

            "Yeah," Fabian laughed.  "_Real_ easy."

            "Stay away from me!" Julianne cried.  What kind of place was this?  The only path she could see was almost vertical, no possible way to climb without being caught easily.  Between the bottom of the "path" and the ocean was at least a mile of land, making jumping suicide.  She didn't want to die!  But would it be better than slavery?

            "Kangas!"  She flinched at the great roar.  _Xavier…poor Xa-_

            She wasn't the only one to cry in surprise as the heavy Pokémon slammed into Fabian, sending both tumbling down the steep embankment.  "What in the-"  Before Percy could finish his question, a pale blue aura surrounded him, lifting him into the air.  "Voni, hey Voni, _help_!"

            "What…"  Julianne watched in fascinated horror as Percy was sent flying into Onix (Voni?) in the cart.  The ties on it broke one by one, allowing the odd-looking balloon to drift upward.  The mismatched cloths became dimmer in color, wavering as if in great heat… then blasted outward in a thunderous explosion that made Julianne scream and cover her eyes.  The ringing in her ears almost covered the sound of the cart smashing to the rocks barely ten feet from her with the two men inside.  One groaned as both tumbled downward, out of sight.

            Julianne stayed cowering where she had been standing, her face buried in her hands, her ears ringing with thunder.  She shrieked as a hand lightly fell upon her bruised shoulder; swatting at it, she fell sideways.  "Get away!" she screamed.  "Get away!"

            "Ab…?"

            "Ge-!"  She gasped.  "Xavier?!"  Her eyes flew open, and she fumbled to regain her feet, ready to tackle the Abra in a loving embrace.  "Xavi-_eeek_!  Xavier, _no_!"

            For the first time in her memory, his eyes were fully open.  What sorrowful, ashamed eyes they were, heartbreakingly black.  His shoulders were hunched with the weight of the world, his ears drooping with sadness.

            "Kadabra," he apologized softly, mustache hanging low over his elongated mouth.  The star upon his forehead seemed to glimmer dimly, as if with tears of its own.

            "Oh, Xavier… _Xavier_…"  He was nearly as tall as she was, now, far too big to pick up and carry.  Still, he was easily hugged.  "Oh, my poor Xavier…"

            "Abra…"  He sounded as close to crying as she felt.  "Ka… Kadabra…"

            "No, Xavier… you saved my life.  I-if you hadn't…"  Her own words felt hollow, worthless.

            Xavier had saved her life.

            But he could no longer be hers.

            "Oh, Xavier…" she moaned.

            It took some time to pull herself together, for it to sink in that staying where she was, was likely dangerous.  If Fabian had survived the tumble with his Kangaskhan… or…  She risked a peak at the wreckage of the cart.  No sign of Voni or Percy, which only added to her unease.  All there were, were shattered boards, one intact wheel on its side, a few shreds of cloth, and a couple bulging sacks.

            Sacks?  The pokéballs!  With greatest care, she picked her way through the wreckage, doing her best not to step on any large splinters – after all, she was only in her house slippers, little more than cloth sheaths for her feet.  Pushing aside a piece of the cart's floor, she uncovered the two packs.

            Wrestling open the drawstring of the smaller, she found not pokéballs, but supplies.  Packaged food, some spare clothing, a comb, a couple purses… the thieves' belongings.  Shoving it aside, she fought with the knot on the larger until at last it came free.

            There had to be a hundred of them!  She had never seen so many pokéballs, not at tournaments, not since the great market at the Cerulean Fair.  They must be talented thieves, indeed… at least, must have been.  What to do with these?  There was no way she or Xavier could carry all of these, and she certainly wasn't going to leave them here!

            Tentatively, she took a red one off the top.  A Level Ball, wasn't it?  She wasn't entirely clear on the difference between the types, but was fairly sure she knew most of them by name.  "Pokéball… um…"  Biting her lip, she touched the button to release the Pokémon inside.

            It escaped with a flare of red light and a frightened screech – a common Pidgeotto.  "Oh!"  Surprised at her success, Julianne dropped the ball.  "Oops!"  The Pidgeotto fluttered to a landing, looking at her suspiciously.  "Um… you're free.  You were stolen from your master, but you can go home now."  She pointed to the pokéball.

            The Pidgeotto looked at the red ball at her feet, cocking its head slightly to the side.  After a moment, it seemed to understand.  Looking about, it seemed to judge where it was, then, flapping twice, lifted from the ground.  It swooped toward Julianne, making her cringe away as it snatched the red ball in its talons and flew away.  "Good luck!" she called after it, waving.  If it noticed, it gave no sign.

            It took a great deal of time, but at last the pile diminished.  She still had close to forty balls, of those that were empty and those which the Pokémon couldn't carry themselves.  At last, at long last, it was only her, Xavier, and two others.

            One was a little four-tailed Vulpix, so tiny it was astonishing it should be away from its mother, much less in a Level Ball.  It mewled and whimpered at Xavier's feet.  The other, a sleepy Shellder, showed no interest in leaving.  It stuck its tongue out at Julianne around a lazy smile.  "Aren't you sweet," she muttered.  It sniggered.

            Julianne sighed, looking down at herself.  "I can't go around like this," she muttered.  Her dress was in tatters, her undergarments more than just a little visible, if not torn themselves.  Steeling herself, she dug through the bag of supplies.

            Voni's clothes were far too big for her, and Percy had been too fat, but ones she assumed to be Fabian's did not make for too bad of a fit.  The tight-cuffed blouse was loose over her torso; she had to stuff the pantlegs into the too-long boots so not to trip on them.  She used a handkerchief to tie her hair back in a low tail.  She frowned at herself: though dressed as a boy, the loose blouse was not loose enough to hide the fact she wasn't.  She was certain to run into trouble if someone knew what she was, no matter what the truth of the matter was.  Digging deeper, she came across a sleeveless doublet that seemed suitable.  While unnecessarily long, it would render her torso shapeless.

            "Okay…"  Practically, she tied the lighter of the purses to the belt that had fit her, putting the other beneath the doublet.  With some unease she slipped a short dagger onto her belt as well.  "Now for you three."  She gave the Vulpix a gentle pet.  "I'll do my best to get you and Shellder to where you belong, I promise."  It whined appreciatively, rubbing its nose in her palm.  "For now, back in you go."  Obediently, it went back into the Level Ball.  The Shellder gave her a dull look as she returned it to the Lure Ball it had come from.  "Now… Xavier…"  He looked at her with those disheartened black eyes.  "Don't worry, Xavier, we'll work something out."  She picked up one of the empty Fast Balls.  "For now… it's probably best you get in here.  It isn't yours, I know, but it'd draw attention if you followed me around.  You're too tired to teleport us down; I'll climb off this place.  At least I'm dressed for it."

            "Kab-!"

            "No arguments.  Evolved or no evolved, right now you're still my Pokémon. Pokéball, go!"  She tossed it at him; as she expected, he went in with no more than a worried look at her.  The three balls she put into an empty purse she slid onto her belt as well.  Frowning a bit, she emptied the smaller of the sacks, returning to it some of the dried rations, a water canteen, and, as an afterthought, a dozen of the pokéballs remaining on the ground.  Tying the ropes around her waist, she headed for the steep embankment, on the opposite side which the thieves had fallen.

            "Jules," she told herself, looking down for handholds.  "Until I get home, I'm Jules."


	2. To the Island

            The people in the market of reclusive Cinnabar did not know what to make of the young stranger.

            For one, his fair features marked him as clearly an outsider as if he'd been carrying a banner to proclaim it.  The red burn on his face declared that he had not trod their lands for very long, and that most of what he had, had been in the open.  He had a timid pace, as if expecting a volcanic plume wherever he placed his foot, and a limp suggesting his boots didn't fit quite right.  His chocolate-colored hair held strips of blond, whether natural or sun-bleached was questionable; he shaded his eyes with one hand, rendering them invisible to all but those daring enough to approach him.

            "What kind of person's that, Momma?" a boy asked his mother as she perused a meat stall.

            "That's a mainlander, sure as I'm born," his mother replied, affording the stranger only half a glance.  "Don't have anything to do with him, like a good boy."

            "But he's coming this way, Momma."

            "Just ignore him, there's a lad."

            "But-"

            "What did I say?"  The child pouted as the stranger continued his trek toward the meat stall.

            "E… excuse me, madam?"  The matron gave the strange boy a downcast glare, which he met with a meek bow.  "Please, madam, I have only a few questions.  I'm very much lost."

            "Lost, eh?  You've wandered far then, lad, and on water besides, to make it to Cinnabar."

            "C-Cinnabar!" the boy cried out, looking horrified and relieved at the same time.  "This is Cinnabar, truly?"

            "True as I was born here."

            "Thank you, thank you, good woman!  Do… do you know where I can go to get back to the mainland?"

            "Same place you came to get here, I'd expect.  Good day to you, boy."

            "B-!"

            "I said good day.  Come along, dear."  Grabbing her son's hand, she hurried off.

            The "boy" bit "his" lip, more upset about almost giving away her identity than the woman's rudeness.  "Jules," she muttered, reminding herself.  She rested a hand on the small pouch on her belt, reassuring herself of her friend's closeness.  Sighing, she looked about for an apothecary.  Her face and neck burned awfully from being too exposed to the sun.  It'd been three days since she'd made it to the bottom of the flat the thieves had brought her to.

            Cinnabar! she thought again.  All the way to Cinnabar!  They must have taken the cart on a boat.  The trip was only a couple hours with fair winds, according to her father; it wasn't unthinkable that she'd slept through it.  But how had Xavier made it across?  He must have caught up beforehand, and hid, perhaps beneath the cart.  He was too big for that now, Julianne mused sorrowfully.  As much as she was desperate to get home, she longed for another destination… someplace where it wouldn't matter than Xavier was no longer the Abra he had been.  She'd heard there were places with wild Kadabra.  Certainly not in the little town of Fuchsia, but farther north, near Lavender someplace.

            Seeing a likely looking stall, she hurried as best she could across the market, keeping one arm low over the pouches on her belt to dissuade pickpockets, the other gripping the bundle over her shoulder.  Gingerly she shouldered her way to the apothecary's stall and the welcome shade afforded by the canopy over it.  "Do you have something for sunburn?" she asked the bored-looking boy behind the counter.

            He glanced at her with eyes of a startling amber color, made dull by the apparent lack of interest in them.  "Mebbe," he replied vaguely.  "What's it to you?"

            She looked over the various vials and pots of potions, herbs, and salves.  "If you do not pretend a bit more interest, I'll be certain to find it elsewhere," she told him flatly.

            "All right, all right…"  He set a small lidded jar in front of her.  "Two slivers silver."

            "Two-!"  She stared at him.  "I could go home on two slivers silver!"

            "What's it worth to you, then?"

            Of course… she tried not to grimace.  When she'd gone to the Cerulean Fair with her parents, everything required bartering to be bought.  What _was_ it worth to her?  Two slivers silver seemed paltry compared to the pain of her burns, but to pay that much would be to play the fool.  She wouldn't be taken advantage of!  "You'll get no more than a bronze out of me," she told him firmly.

            "A bronze!" he snapped, sitting upright.  "You might as well give nothing!"

            "Very well, if you insist."  She reached for the jar.

            He smacked her hand with his own.  "One sliver or go!"

            "A copper and a half is robbery enough for me."

            The boy snorted, resting his palms on the counter and standing.  Julianne swore to herself not to be intimidated… while a head taller than she, there was little between the boy's head and legs.  He was a mantis, tall and scrawny.  "For a copper and a half you can get away from my stall."

            "_Your_ stall?"  She laughed.

            He picked up the jar in one hand, slamming it down again forcefully.  "This is worth at least ten coppers in materials and time!"

            "For wasting my time I'll give you five and no more."

            "For wasting mine, seven."

            "Fine."

            "All right then."

            "All right."  She took the lighter purse from her belt, digging through it for the agreed amount.  The first night she'd dumped out both purses to see how much she had to carry, and was startled to find among the multitude of bronze pennies, copper coins, and silver slivers – the common man's choice change – were not a few discs of silver, a half dozen gold rounds, and even a pair of amberite rings.  Never had she seen so much money in her life!  She could buy her father's mill for that kind of money!  She hid the greater coinage in the bigger pouch beneath her doublet, keeping only one silver disc and half the bronzes and coppers in the purse at her waist.  She put the seven coppers on the counter.  "For you."

            "And you."  He slid the jar closer to her.

            "What's in it?"

            He laughed.  "Now you ask!  A weird one, aren't you?"  He grinned at her lack of amusement.  "Aloe for the most part; it'll get rid of the sting and put some moisture back in.  You're gonna be peeling for a week with that, y'know."

            "I noticed."  She touched her cheek gingerly.

            "What brings you to Cinnabar without a hat, mainlander?"

            "You'd never believe me if I told you."

            "All right then."  He shrugged.  "Couldn't be the tournament, you haven't any balls."

            Julianne looked down at herself self-consciously, momentarily panicking.  Was she supposed to act indignant?  "Tournament?"

            "Yeah, the Fireleaf Tournament.  Where you been?"

            "Fireleaf…?"  Of course!  Avius had been begging to go to the Fireleaf for years now.  "That's now?"

            "Starts tomorrow.  More mainlanders about with that going on soon.  Though never's been that a mainlander won, they don't stop trying."

            She shook her head.  "I couldn't ever be in something like that."

            "Not without Pokémon, certainly."

            "I have Pokémon," she blurted out, then regretted it.

            "Really?  You haven't any 'balls on you."

            "I have so."  She patted the pouch on her belt.  "I've an Ab- a Kadabra."

            "A Kadabra, huh?  Definitely a mainlander, then."  He laughed.  "None of those about here.  Why don't you enter with it?  There's no fee for amateurs."

            She shook her head quickly.  "I can't.  I… I have to get home today."

            "More's the pity then."  He looked up toward the sky.  "It'll likely rain this evening.  'tis getting late as well… you're certain you have to go?  Weather's not going to hold."

            "I have to get home as soon as I possibly can."

            "You're not likely to if your ship goes down."

            "What's your interest in it, then?" she demanded.  She didn't know the first thing about battling Pokémon, and what if they realized she was a girl?  Bad enough being dressed like this!  She had to get home, with the least amount of shame she could.  Nobody would question a boy traveling alone; her parents might forgive her appearance.  But taking part in a Pokémon Tournament!  She wasn't stupid!

            "You might just got the guts to get somewhere in it, that's all.  Guess I was wrong."

            "I guess so," she sniffed.

            He laughed outright.  "Hail, great mainlander!  Is our little tourney too quaint for you?"

            "I haven't trained in the least," she told him openly.  "My Xavier's my companion and that's it."

            The boy snorted.  "You sound just like a girl," he sneered.  "You're a girl under those knickers, aren't you?  Girl!  Girl!"

            "Shut up!" she snapped.  For the first time she was glad of the aching burn across her face; it hid the redness that seeped up beneath it.

            "Just think on it," the boy told her with a grin.  "You're not likely to find a ship willing to sail for the mainland with the weather threatening."

            "Sure," she muttered, turning away.

            "Forgetting something?" he teased.

            The salve!  With a sigh she turned back, picking it up.

            "Name's Alex, by the way.  Alexus, really, but Alex's long enough, you think?"

            "Jul…es," she drawled, nearly forgetting.

            "Nice short name.  Listen, if I'm right and you're stuck, I expect to see you in the Tourney, got me?"  He grinned challengingly.  "If not… well then, that's that, I suppose.  You won't be here to do it."

            "Right."  What was he so talkative about?  "Do you know a good inn where I can catch some decent sleep?  I've been out three days straight… I've barely slept at all."

            "The Red Rhyhorn's not shabby.  My uncle runs it."

            "Thanks.  Where…?"

            He laughed, gesturing further down the streets.  "Just watch the signs."  He turned his attention to a girl hovering impatiently nearby.  Julianne tried to cover the jealousy she felt at the other's relative freedom until she noted the girl's swelling stomach.  So only wives were allowed out of the house here, too.  No such thing as a maid getting the market goods.  With a sigh, she headed in the direction Alex had indicated.

            The Red Rhyhorn was indeed hard to miss, with its great wooden sign hanging out front, bearing the insignia for which it was named.  For a silver sliver she gained a room to herself, and flopped immediately on the bed to apply the salve to her burns.  "All right… Xavier… Vulpix… Shellder!"  Feeling much relieved, she released each in their own flare of red or white light.  Xavier offered her a kind smile; the Shellder looked about questioningly.  The Vulpix hopped quickly into her lap, begging for attention.  "We're going to try to get back to the mainland now…"  She bit her lip.  "I wish I hadn't let all those Pokémon go now… the flying types can get back, and the water ones, but the others…"  She sighed heavily.  The Vulpix whined in sympathy, nudging her hand with its nose.  "I'm guessing you either don't have a master, or don't want to go back," she said to the Shellder.  It stuck its tongue out at her.  "I'll release you at the waterfront when we get there, then.  And… well, I'm sure we'll find something to do with you," she told the Vulpix, scratching it under its chin.  It whined in appreciation.  "Almost to five tails, aren't you?"  She stroked its back, down to where its four tails curled daintily.  She hadn't noticed it before, but one end had two curls.  "But still so little, poor thing."  She rubbed its head.  "So, Shellder, can you wake us before evening if I'll let you go then?  Xavier and I need some sleep and I don't think Vulpix is old enough to."

            "Sh_elll_der!" the water Pokémon agreed cheerfully, rocking from side to side.

            "Thank you," she replied happily.  Shifting the blankets aside, she tugged off the boots on her feet.  "Ooh… that feels so _good_," she groaned, rubbing the aching soles.  "I knew I should have stuffed the toes."  Considering the amount of money she had, she could easily afford new, better fitting shoes.  "At least these are broken in," she mused aloud.  She took the bandana out of her hair, putting it beside the single lamp.  Yawning, she unlaced the doublet, letting it fall to the floor as she curled up on the nice down bed.  She heard Xavier sit near the foot, as he had when he was still an Abra; forcing her eyes open, she could see his head loll toward his chest.  She smiled sleepily as the Vulpix nudged itself under her arm, curling into a ball with its tails over its nose.  She barely managed to pull the covers over her shoulders before falling into a dreamless, restful sleep-

            -that was disturbed what seemed like only moments later by a bucket of icy water splashing her face.  She sat upright with a scream as the Vulpix darted away.  "Avius!" she swore, getting ready to stand, as the events of the passed half week rushed to remind her of where she was.  Confused, she looked about the small room.

            Out the narrow window, the sky had grown overcast, the unfriendly soot-colored clouds tinged with purple and orange.  Evening already?  Understanding, she glared at the grinning Shellder.  "That wasn't funny!" she scolded it.  "You couldn't just jump on the bed, could you!"  The Shellder just grinned, even when Xavier nudged it chidingly with his foot.  "You deserve to be thrown into a river," Julianne grumbled, wringing her hair out into the washbasin beside the bed.  She frowned at how dingy the water was.  "Yuck.  I'm _filthy_."  Carefully she removed the blouse, laying it on the bed.  "Shellder," she said, sitting with her back to the washbasin, "do you think you could give me a little Water Gun?  Just enough to rinse my hair, please?"

            "El," the Shellder chirped.

            A moment later, she shuddered as a freezing trickle hit her in the back of the head.  "Th-thanks," she shivered.  She ran her fingers through her hair until they were numb.  "Okay, thank you.  That was very helpful."  The Shellder chirped in reply as the cold water ceased spraying.  Taking the comb out of her pack, she pulled the last of the knots and dingy water from her hair, until it ran smooth.  With a contented sigh, she tied her hair back, shrugging into the man's blouse once more.  Slipping on the doublet, she cinched her belt tighter, then shoved the pair of house slippers she'd worn into the toes of the boots before putting them back on.  She sighed in relief to find the fit far better; she had horrible calluses on her heels from the amount of walking she'd done.  "All right… I feel ready now."  She stood and stretched, chuckling as Xavier did the same.  "We'll have some supper soon as we get to the mainland," she promised him.  He smiled in return.  "For now, let's see about securing passage."  She picked up the pokéballs.  "Come on, you three.  You know how it is."

            Once the Pokémon were back in the balls, she collected the rest of what she had brought with her.  Slinging the pack over her shoulder once more, she gave the bed once last longing look before trudging out, closing the door behind her.

            Outside the Red Rhyhorn, the streets were almost deserted.  The air felt stifling, as if a damp blanket had settled over the entire island town.  Doing her best to ignore the overhanging clouds, Julianne hurried for the docks she had been able to see from the room at the inn.

            As she would have expected from an island town, the dock was hardly the tiny pile of boards her brothers had put together for fishing off of in the river her father's mill used to turn the waterwheel.  In fair weather, it was likely a market in and of itself; even with all permanent stalls abandoned and the rest of the planks barren, an all-encompassing smell of salted fish and tar lurked everywhere.  The air was eerily still, lacking in the natural sound of sea birds but for some nesting below the dock.

            "All right, Shellder."  She crouched on one knee, taking the Lure Ball from her pocket and hitting the release.  "You're free, now.  Good luck to you."  It looked at her with a chirrup, as if surprised she was going through with it.  "I promised to release you.  That's what I'm doing.  I can't keep you where I'm going."  It pouted, its tongue sticking out between its lips.  "Sorry.  That's how it is."  She caressed its shell.  "Be good.  I'm sure you'll get a great trainer some day."  It smiled slightly, wrapping its tongue lightly around her hand in an odd but kindly handshake.  She smiled sadly as it hopped once to the edge of the dockside, then tipped itself over the side into the choppy seawater below.  For a moment it floated, looking up at her as if expecting her to change her mind, then with one last chirp and silly grin, sank from sight.

            Forcing herself not to even consider crying – pest as it was, it seemed like such a nice Pokémon!  And Shellder didn't evolve unless exposed to certain crystals… – she headed farther out onto the dock, looking for anyone who might have a way to the shore.  She had to get home!  It'd been three days already: her family had to be frantic.  Maybe there would be a way to get a letter to them… she wasn't wonderful at writing, but she could likely put together something fairly legible, at least enough to assure them she was all right and heading home.

            Noting a solid-looking man staring over the edge of the dock beside where a low schooner was tied, she hurried up to him as quickly as she could.  "Sir!  Sir, if I might speak with you, please?"

            The man looked down at her, then grinned with a smile half of gold.  "Aye, lad, speak if you like, but be quick!  Storm's coming within the hour."

            She glanced at the sky; were it not for the threatening gray of the clouds, their orange and violet linings would have been beautiful.  "Yes, sir.  But please, I was wondering if there was a way to get back to the mainland tonight?"

            The seaman laughed heartily.  "Ah, spoken like a real mainlander there!" he chortled.  "No ships with smart captains would leave in such weather as this'll be.  What you need is your _own_ transport."

            "I haven't got money like that!" she exclaimed.  Actually, she mused, she did, but she certainly didn't have the time or experience to buy and man her own boat!

            "Surely you do!  Lookit down there, lad, tell me what you see."

            Impatiently, she looked, and was startled at the small cluster of smooth blue skins and short-horned heads.  "What are those?" she gasped.  The creatures looked up at her with the sounds she had mistaken for nesting birds.  What intelligence were in those great, knowing eyes…

            "What, never seen a school o' Lapras, haven't you?" the man guffawed, slapping her shoulder.  "Whole pod is mine, y'know.  Just gettin' them out of the way of the storm.  M'brother and I, we each keep a school to each side o' the water.  Nothin' better for your own ferryment than the back o' a Lapras.  Shells make natural seats, they do."

            A Lapras?  Of course!  Now she remembered.  Her father had spoken of such ferries, where a pair of folks trained a few Lapras to go between docks on each side of a body of water.  These Lapras were probably trained to go to the mainland dock of this man's brother.  "Will one of them go now?" she asked eagerly.

            "Now?" the man echoed.  He looked upward, scratching his beard.  "I don't know, really… I know one or two who might risk it, but if they won't I can't much help you…"  He smiled shrewdly.  "I'll tell ya what.  You take a likely one, and I'll give you a discount in case it don't go.  Agreed?"

            "Agreed!" she replied quickly.  What luck!  She looked down at the school.  Which one might bring her across?

            "Well, with weather like what's threatening, I'd say m'Runt's your best bet."  He whistled twice, gesturing; like well-trained Growlithe, the school began to separate, making way for one of the smaller ones.  "Don' let 'er size fool ya.  Runt's the most stubborn Lapras you'll ever know.  Real amazing she listens as well as she do.  And she's got power t'spare.  She ain't called Runt 'cause she's big for her age, y'know what I mean?"

            Julianne nodded.  "Runt" looked up at her skeptically, as if sizing her up.  It certainly wasn't the largest of the Lapras, looking immature in comparison, but she had the same elegant face and eerily intelligent eyes.  Her skin seemed grayer than the others, but not in a sickly way.  Crouching, she held her hand out for "Runt" to inspect.  "Would you take me to the mainland?" she asked.  Runt snuffed at her hand, snorting a bit before looking back over her shoulder.  Her long mouth turned downward.  "Please.  It's important I get there as quickly as I can!"  Runt returned to looking at her skeptically.

            "She's yours for a pair of gold discs."

            "Two gold!" Julianne cried.  "That's outrageous!"

            "Not for my Runt!  It's a bargain!"

            "Two whole gold!  I could _buy_ a Lapras for that!"

            Julianne felt her face burn when the man burst out laughing.  Runt glared at them both.  Julianne frowned at the sky as she felt a cold drop wet her sleeve; the storm was preparing to break.  "Dear… dear boy," the man barely managed to gasp between guffaws, "what're _you_ doing here then?"

            "_What_?"  Julianne stared at him.  "I… I thought you and your brother were ferrymen!"

            He laughed yet again.  "Har, lad!  A mainlander indeed!  Only mainlanders make an enterprise like that.  Out here if'n you want t'use a Lapras, you buy your own!"

            Julianne bit her lip.  She certainly had the money to spare… but that would mean she'd _own_ a Lapras!  What would she do with one?  The river the mill bordered on certainly wasn't a place for a Lapras to live!  The thought of giving one to Avius was too horrible to bear.

            "I'd like t'see you get a strong, sea-bred Lapras like Runt here in the mainland," the man said, "for so little as a couple o' gold."

            "Was she wild?"

            "Only in spirit, lad.  Her and her parents before her were trained in the school you see here."

            There went releasing her, like she had the Shellder…  There were men who hunted wild Lapras for meat, especially in the Orange Kingdom, where the flesh was considered a staple food.  

            Maybe she could find someone who would treat her well…

            "I'll give you one."

            "Fine then!  Good, good choice, lad!  You'll not regret it.  Good doing business with you."  The Lapras breeder took a Lure Ball from the silk vest he wore, using it to recall the small grayish-skinned Lapras.  Fishing through her hidden purse, Julianne handed him the agreed-for coin in exchange for the Lure Ball, and the Pokémon within.  "I'm certain you and Runt'll be good for each other," the merchant assured her with a grin of gold.  How successful he must be, Julianne mused, to have so many gold teeth.  "I've done 'bout all I can with the girl.  You take good care of each other now."

            "Thank you very much, sir," she replied graciously.

            "If'n you're planning on going, best to go to the north pier, 'bout a mile that way," the merchant added, pointing.  "Takes you 'cross the calmest waters, straight to a plantation run by the Pallet family.  Real nice folks: they'll likely put you up for the night.  Good luck to you now."

            "Thank you, sir!"  As quickly as she could, Julianne took off for the north pier.

            "_Please_, Runt!" Julianne begged as freezing drizzle continued to soak her thoroughly.  The Lapras didn't appear to mind it in the least.  "My family has to be worried sick!  I _have_ to get home!"

            Runt looked up at the clouds, which had turned the sky to pitch.  In an unmistakable answer, she shook her head from side to side.

            "Bu-!"  Julianne nearly yelped as her plea was cut short by a frightful rap of thunder.  Hail joined an even harder rain.

            Sighing miserably, Julianne returned the Lapras to the pokéball, and began the wretched journey back to the Red Rhyhorn.

            So much for that idea….


	3. To the Fireleaf

            Julianne rose the next morning refreshed but disheartened.  The storm had stopped for the moment, but the heavy, dark sky threatened its continuance.  She sighed, rubbing the Vulpix's head.  It – he, she'd found, when he relieved himself on a tree on the way back from the north pier – leaned his head into her hand.  "I hope I wasn't swindled with Runt," she murmured.  "It doesn't look any better than yesterday… she probably still won't want to go."  She sighed again, picking up the jar of salve to treat her face.  It felt much better, but was still a bit tender.  Xavier yawned from his place on the floor.  "Sleep well, Xavier?"

            He smiled a bit beneath his drooping mustache, nodding.  "Ah?"

            "Yes, me too… but I can't wait to sleep on my own couch in my own room… wearing my own clothes…"  She frowned at the breeches she'd hung on the footboard, so that they wouldn't wrinkle.  "It's like walking around in my underclothes.  I feel indecent without a skirt…"  Xavier smiled sympathetically.  "Well!  To the waterfront!  Let's see if Runt will take us home."  She picked up the breeches, slipping them over her stockings.  Cinching tight her belt, she buttoned the blouse she'd slept in before slipping the doublet over it.  After a few moments, she managed to find the comb among her belongings, and used it to untangle her hair as best she could.  "And to tie it back…" She tied it lower this morning, below her nape, keeping it back without feeling as awkward about it.  She was far too used to wearing her hair loose.  "… and then we're all set, I think!"  The Vulpix whined, pawing at her pantleg.  "Hungry?" she asked him as she shoved her foot into a boot, tucking in the excess pantleg as well.  "Me too.  But we can get something when we get to the mainland, I promise.  Go into your 'ball if it's really bad."  The Vulpix replied with a moody pout.  "What you really need," Julianne mused, "is a name.  I can't just call you 'Vulpix'."  He cocked his head to the side curiously.  "Some boys don't name their Pokémon, but that's just lazy of them.  Everything needs a name."  His four-and-a-fraction tails waved.  "Uli.  You look like a 'Uli' to me.  Do you like 'Uli'?"  The Vulpix cocked his head to the other side in apparent confusion.  Julianne giggled.  "Well, we'll see how it works."

            "Vul!" Uli agreed pleasantly, tails waving.

            "All right.  Let's go home."

            After cleaning up the room and returning the Pokémon to their 'balls, Julianne returned the key to the innkeeper, paid her tab, and, as an afterthought, bought some dried Tauros jerky and poached Pidgey eggs in case Runt refused to cross the water.  Not knowing what the Lapras ate, she added some dried watercress and dates as well.

            "I've oranges fresh from the sea kingdom if ya like, lad."

            "No, thank you.  This should get us to the mainland easily."

            "Not staying for the tourney, boyo?  No ships be sailing to keep from missing it.  I'd think you'd be heading there now."

            "No, I need to get home right away.  I bought a Lapras to carry me."

            "From a gap-mouthed man, or a greasy wench?"

            "No!  Not that it's your business, but a man with gold teeth."

            The innkeeper nodded.  "Ah, you're in luck then.  Gap Jack and Alessandra the Grease breed Lapras but never train the things.  Mostly use 'em as food for Orangers.  Sometimes they swindle mainlanders for three or four gold."

            "What's a good price for a Lapras?"

            "I'd not give over a bronze for untrained.  Sanulus – the gold-tooth you got yers from – trains his good, him and Sanathus, his brother, both.  I'd give two silver for the ones I'd afford."  The innkeeper frowned.  "What's it, lad?  You're flushed like a maid."

            Julianne forced herself not to cringe.  "I… paid a whole gold.  He _knew_ I wouldn't know better…"

            "Well, in general he's easy on trainers since they're best for Lapras, so he says."

            "All I got was a little one he called Runt."

            "Runt!  He sold you his Runt?"

            "What?"

            "He's hid his Runt some years now!  Rather attached to her, what with that spirit she has.  Never gives in, she don't."

            "She did to the weather yesterday."

            "Aye, stubborn, but not stupid."  The innkeeper looked at her with such scrutiny she fought not to bolt.  "He must've seen the same in you, lad.  You got a good deal there, a great Pokémon even _with_ the bad name."

            "You… really think so?"

            "Think?  Boyo, I'd almost put a wager on your chances in the Fireleaf, 'specially since most people use Fire Pokémon 'round here."  At her blank look, he added with a touch of condescension, "…and as everyone knows, fire Pokémon are weak to water attacks."

            "Oh… yes, of course.  Water douses flame."

            "As flame kindles leaf and leaf absorbs water," he agreed.  "You think about it, yeah?"

            "I can't.  I have to go."

            "Missing out on a good shot of experience!" he chided her.

            _And the chance of breaking even _more_ laws_, she added silently.  "My loss I guess.  Thank you, sir."

            "Aye, lad."

            "_Please_, Runt!" Julianne pleaded, but it did no good: even satiated on watercress and a few strands of seaweed she'd found for herself, Runt turned her back to the mainland.  "I _have_ to get home!  My parents are probably frantic with worry!  It's been nearly a week now!"

            With a flash of white, Xavier burst from his Fast Ball.  "Maybe you can talk sense into her!" Julianne cried in frustration, resting her head in her hand.

            "Ka?  Kadabra bra?"  Runt's stubborn, tinny cry answered him tartly.  "Kadabra.  Ka, ka, dabra brada Kadabra."  Another tinny reply.  "Dabra?"  No answer.

            Julianne lifted her head at Xavier's gentle tug on her sleeve.  Her shoulders slumped at his apologetic expression.  Her disappointment turned to confusion as he pointed back the way they had come.  "What?"  He touched her chin with the tip of a claw, then pointed more insistently.  She looked to where he was pointing to.

            The great stadium, its proud red and gold Cinnabaran banners still in the heavy air.

            "What?  No!  We can't go to the tournament, Runt!"  Xavier shook his head.  "What?  She doesn't want to go?"  He frowned thinly.  "She…?  Forget it!"  She felt the heat rise in her cheeks.  "Absolutely _no_ way!  I can't enter!  If someone realizes I'm-!"  She lowered her voice to a hiss.  "_When_ someone figures out _what _I am, I'll be _arrested_!  They'll take _all_ of you away, and I'll get sent home in disgrace!"

            Runt glared at her.   _If you don't_, the glare said, _you're not getting home at all_.

            Julianne growled aloud in frustration.  This was ridiculous!  
            _If you wait until tomorrow_, reason told her, _you can buy a more cooperative Lapras from Sanulus_.

            _But I can't wait_! Panic cried desperately.  _I _have _to get home!_

            The format seemed simple enough: each trainer registered two Pokémon to battle with.  Battles until the fifth tier of contestants were one-on-one.  Sixth through eighth tier, up through the winner's combat, were two-on-two.  Four battles went on simultaneously; her first was slated as being fifth on the west field.

            She looked about at the other competitors, even as she kept her arms firmly crossed over her doublet.  Only a few had their Pokémon out, and as the innkeeper had said, most seemed to be fire types.

            She nearly jumped out of her skin as a hand fell heavily on her shoulder.  "Hey, you made it!  Good going, mainlander!"

            "Alex…!" she cried, half out of relief, half to cover the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.  "I couldn't get a ride…"

            Alexus laughed.  "What'd I tell you?  Everyone's staying for the tourney."

            "Yeah… even my Lapras."  Alex laughed.  "I'm serious!  Stubborn little girl won't bring me home!"

            Alex shook his head.  "Girls," he snorted.  "You have sisters?"  She nodded, telling herself she wouldn't take anything he was about to say personally.  "Me too, four of them.  Each one's less understandable than the rest!  I say, who needs 'em.  I hate being the only boy."

            "Is… your father the apothecary?"

            "The-!"  Alex burst out laughing, thumping her so hard on the back that she nearly bit her tongue.  "You didn't see 'im then!  Naw, my master's old enough to have grandfathered my father!  P'pa is a fisherman.  Our family name is Mariner, but P'pa was hoping for a more settled, reliable job for me.  What's your p'pa do?"

            "He's a miller.  We're Millers."

            "You have brothers?"

            She nodded.  "Both older."

            "Ah, so they'll inherit."

            She nodded again.  "Julius gets the mill.  Avius is training Pokémon… he's only a couple years older than me."

            "Alexus Mariner!"

            "Ipe!  I'm up."  He clapped her on the shoulder again.  "Good luck, mainlander."

            "You too, Mariner."

            He laughed, giving her a thumb's up.  "Good one!"  With no more than a quick wave, he hurried after the official who had called his name.

            He didn't seem so bad, now that they weren't arguing over a price.  Guys were nicer to each other than they were to girls.  Her sister Julie said their vulgarity and stupidity was just them showing off, and in a few years she'd find it cute.  Crazy Julie!  Who could trust a cloud-headed girl like that?  Julianne could swear her sister's Gloom had gotten to Julie's senses of reason as well as smell.

            "Jules Miller!"

            She jumped, almost falling off the bench she perched on: her turn!  What was she to do?  Straight-kneed so not to collapse in fear, she stumbled after the official.

            She was led out into the open stadium, the overcast sky taking on an orange cast from the four great torches, one to each pinnacle at each compass point.

            "First time, lad?" the official asked.

            It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to her.  "Y-yeah.  I've never been in a real battle before…"

            "Just trust in your Pokémon.  Best advice I can give.  Good luck, kiddo."

            "Thanks…"

            "Stand right there."  She paused in a large, chalked rectangle she quickly realized was part of a stadium field.  "That's it."  The official headed back toward the waiting area; Julianne forced herself not to follow.

            "Returning competitor, Bulus Finch of Cinnabar, verses new challenger, Jules Miller of Fuchsia!" the robed judged declared in a voice to be heard above the crowd in their quarter of the stadium.  "Trainer!  Choose your Pokémon!"

            "I choose Poliwrath!" Bulus Finch declared, holding up a Lure Ball.  The blue apricorn ball popped open, releasing the large, slick-skinned creature.

            Poliwrath!  For a moment, Julianne panicked.  Poliwrath was a greatly evolved water Pokémon!  Runt would have no advantage at all!

            Of course… she wouldn't be the only one taking advantage of the amount of fire Pokémon here.  He expected her to use a fire type, like everyone else.

            But she, like everyone else, had registered two Pokémon.

            "I choose Kadabra!" she shouted above the crowd, taking the Fast Ball from her pouch.  The 'ball burst open as Xavier coalesced.  Julianne was surprised to see Bulus visibly flinch.

            "Pokémon, ready!  _Begin_!"

            "Poliwrath, Water Gun!" Bulus snapped immediately.

            _Counterattack_! Julianne's reason screamed at her.  This time, she listened.  What were psychic attacks?  "Confusion!" she blurted out.  Almost immediately, the powerful jet of water coming from the Poliwrath reversed direction, slamming into the water Pokémon instead.

            "Poliwrath, Body Slam attack!" Bulus shouted.

            "Teleport out of the way, Xavier!" Julianne screamed. "Confusion again, quickly!"

            "Watch for it and dodge!"

            "No, not Confusion!  Disable!"  Xavier disappeared from the path of the Poliwrath's charge, reappearing a distance away.  The water Pokémon halted in mid-air with a surprised grunt.  "Now, Confusion!"

            "No, Poliwrath!" Bulus cried.  What was so bad?… unless Poliwrath had a fighting secondary type!  Julianne had heard of Pokémon with more than one type, but wasn't sure what ones had them.  As the Poliwrath went shooting into the air to land outside the field of battle, out cold, Julianne felt her guess correct.  Xavier hadn't known Confusion long enough to do _that _much damage to anything but a fighting type.  Brains always beat brawn.

            It was then the truth reached her, at which point she almost fainted.

            She'd won.

            The sky cleared as the day continued, and the battles grew worse.  For each she won, she knew, Xavier and Runt gained experience, and she did as well.  Xavier didn't know Psywave, but could use Confusion both to take over an enemy's attack and to unleash his own; Runt could sing an opponent to sleep, and once ignored her order for a Water Gun to instead use some kind of ice attack to momentarily stun a Charmeleon in order to perfect her aim on the following attack.

            So not to give anyone an unfair advantage, the vanquished were led to a booth to watch the rest of the matches rather than be able to tell their friends of an opponent's Pokémon or strategy.  Upon the seventh round, Julianne was surprised to see Alex among those who had lost.  In his lap rested a Tentacool, which he stroked reassuringly even as the Pokémon looked dejected.  The water strategy must not have worked for him…

            As for herself, she couldn't believe she'd gotten this far.  Of course, Xavier did everything he could to obey, trusting her completely, while Runt generally chose attacks that worked when she ignored her trainer… but still!  She was a girl!  Did no one really notice?  Was her disguise really that good, or was the idea of a girl competing so absurd that no one gave it a single thought?

            So distracted by these thoughts, she nearly lost the second battle of the seventh round; only because Xavier was so fast did he manage to avoid many attacks while she figured out what he had to do.  "I'm so sorry, Xavier," she apologized profusely when at last the Arbok he'd been facing was unfit to fight.

            "Kadabra," he replied reassuringly, but it was more than obvious that he was too tired to battle anymore.  His brow was slick with sweat, which ran down his nose and drenched his moustache.

            "You need to rest.  Runt can take over."  She returned his frown with one of her own.  "She should be satisfied to have gotten this far.  You're too tired.  Back in your 'ball, now."

            With a worried expression, he reluctantly complied.

            Julianne returned to the bench within the stadium's walls; now, where a crowd of boys and young men had once watched each other warily, there were only three others, who regarded her and each other with outright suspicion.  One appeared younger than any of them; the tallest appeared her age, while the stockiest looked to be in his late teens.  All of them were  holding a pokéball tightly in each hand; following their example, she did the same.  Only one of the others was holding a Lure Ball.

            "Jules Miller and Daleson Thresher to the north field!  Vandalus Reaper and Manison Archer, to the south field!" an official ordered.

            Julianne looked with concern at the young man who walked with her toward the north field.  He was the stocky, older one, who carried a black apricorn in one hand, a green one in the other.  He sneered at her.  "You're going down, pansy," he jeered as he shoved a beefy elbow into her ribs, nearly knocking her over.  "Try a Fireleaf when you're _old_ enough."

            "You're old enough to retire," she retorted, refusing to hold her now aching side.

            "I'm going to thresh you, titmouse."

            "Oh?"  Julianne tried to think of an insult becoming a Miller.  "Well… you're going to get crushed.  Pounded into cornmeal."  She felt stupid.  Daleson just snorted in reply, as if it was insult enough to ignore her.

            They took their places on the north field, pokéballs clasped in each hand.

            "Returning champion, Daleson Thresher of Cinnabar verses new challenger, Jules Miller of Fuchsia!  Trainers, choose your Pokémon!"

            Daleson held out his Heavy Ball.  "I choose Onix!"

            As the giant, living avalanche came into its natural form, Julianne nearly swooned from the sheer size of the thing.  It was enormous!  Each section was at least the size of the water wheel back home!

            It was her verses a mountain!

            _Pull yourself together, Jule_, she told herself.  _You don't have to win.  You just have to look like you tried to._

            "I choose Lapras!"  Runt had probably never looked so appropriately named.

            "Pokémon, ready!  _Begin_!"

            "Onix!  Crush that guppy!"

            "Runt, use your best Water Gun!"

            Julianne cried out as Runt's attack was ignored as so much as morning dew: the Onix slammed straight through it.  She could barely hear the Lapras' pained squeal over the thunder of the moving, mountainous Onix.

            "No!  Runt!"  _Think, Jule_! she berated herself.  Song and ice: those were the only two other forms Runt could fight with.

            "One more Slam and it's gone, Onix!  Get it!" Daleson snapped.  The Onix formed a ring of boulders around Runt, cutting off any escape as it prepared to lunge again.

            "Runt, use your ice attack on its face!" Julianne screamed.

            Before the Onix could prefect its aim, it found its snout, then entire boulder-like head, encased in ice.  Its roar was dulled as it fought to free its mouth and nose.

            "Get it, Onix!" Daleson shouted, but it was no use: it could not hear its trainer through the ice.

            "Now's your chance!  Freeze it, Runt!"

            Section by section, the Onix was encased.  The moment it had freed one end of itself, it found half its tail frozen to the field.  Runt was panting, gasping for breath, before the judge finally ruled the Onix incapacitated enough to no longer fight.

            Julianne bit her lip nervously.  Xavier was already wiped out, and now Runt was barely any better.  She still had to deal with whatever Daleson sent out of his green pokéball.  There was no way Runt could carry her and the others back in this condition!  Oh, why hadn't she just gotten a new Lapras tomorrow?!

            "I choose Victreebel!"

            _No!_  Leaf absorbed water – Runt was at a disadvantage against the huge flycatcher!

            "Victreebel, Vine Whip!"

            "Runt!  Get out of the way!"

            But Runt wanted no part of that.  Raising her head high, she let out an icy blast that would have stilled the Onix's largest section.  The attacking Vine Whips froze in place, the ice traveling like fire along them to ensnare the Pokémon using them.  The Vine Whips then broke off, too heavy to hold their own weight.

            Leaf absorbed water… and frost killed leaf.

            "Victreebel is unable to battle! Victory goes to Jules Miller of Fuchsia!"

            With a final, tired sigh of satisfaction, Runt collapsed from exhaustion.  For Julianne, it didn't feel at all like _her_ victory.

            "Way to battle, mainlander!"

            Startled, Julianne looked up at Alex's bright grin.  He was cheering for her?

            Well, why not?  She was guaranteed at least second place, and he'd met her in person.  Boys loved to brag about stupid things like that.

            Sighing, she started back toward the bench.

            "To the east field with you, Miller!" an official declared, pointing.  "You have one more battle!"

            "But…"  Runt was out cold in her Lure Ball, and Xavier was barely fit to stand!  Her Pokémon couldn't go against champion-worthy Pokémon in this condition!

            "But nothing, Miller!  Reaper is waiting for you."

            Julianne shuddered.  What a horrible name!  Mechanically, she made her way to the east field.  _You don't have to win_, she reminded herself.  _You just have to look like you tried_.

            But she wanted to win!  She'd gotten this far!  And she was finally getting a handle on this battling stuff!  What a sight it'd be if all these people learned a _girl_ had _battled_ her way to the finals!

            The fearful shiver that ran up her spine had nothing to do with Vandalus Reaper's name.  _You'd be burned alive as a witch_, her reason predicted.

            "The Championship Match!" the judge declared.  The crowd fell silent.  "Vandalus Reaper of Cinnabar verses Jules Miller of Fuchsia!  The Champion of the Fireleaf Tournament will take with them glory, honor, the crown of red laurel, a Fire Crystal, and a thoroughbred Ponyta!"  Julianne almost choked: a rare Fire Crystal _and_ a _thoroughbred_ Ponyta?  "They who lose to the champion shall receive a trophy and an Element Crystal of their choice!"  That wasn't so bad a prize either!  She would choose a Leaf Crystal, without question.  Green best suited her features, and she had more than enough money to have a beautiful jewelry set made from it – earrings, a pendent, perhaps a clasp bracelet…

            "Trainers!  Choose your Pokémon!"

            From across the field, Vandalus smirked with confidence.  He was the finalist her own age, a tall, broad-shouldered boy who could have been handsome but for the sneer that contorted his features.  "I choose Haunter!" he declared.

            Julianne cringed away from the awful ghoul that escaped the boy's Level Ball.  The forbidding color of twilight, it wore a sneer similar to that of his trainer.

            Runt couldn't possibly battle.  "I'm sorry, Xavier…" she whispered.  As if hearing her, he left the Fast Ball without being called.  "I choose Kadabra!"

            Vandalus' laugh sent ice down her spine.

            "Moron mainlander!" she heard Alexus shout.  What was _his _problem?

            "Pokémon, ready!" the judge cried before Julianne could shoot the apothecary's apprentice a glare.  "_Begin_!"

            "Amateur!" Vandalus taunted her.  "Haunter, Night Shade!"

            "Xav-!"  Before she could even choose an attack, Xavier was hit.  "Xavier!"  What kind of attack was that?!  Like a violet river of energy, the Night Shade bowled the Kadabra over like a duckpin.  "Come on, Xavier, get up!"

            "We've got this match licked!  Do it, Haunter!"

            "Gross!" Julianne cried without thinking, as the Haunter unrolled a giant, dripping tongue that couldn't possibly fit into its vaporous frame.  "Xavier, get up!  Use Disable!"

            The Kadabra pushed himself painfully off the ground.  She didn't know… didn't know she had sent him against his one weakness.  Reaching up with a wavering hand he barely managed to keep hold of the intangible creature.

            "You can do it, Xavier!  Use Confusion!"

            Confusion wouldn't be strong enough… somehow he needed to take the other out more quickly.

            He had gained more experience in this single day alone, than he had all of his years combined.  He could feel powers emerging he had never been able to tap into before, far more than the Confusion and Disable his mistress knew.  Perhaps not Psywave… but…

            Concentrating, he attacked.

            At first it began as a tingling in his forehead, a warmth, as if the star he bore there began to shine.  Energy focused from every part of him, concentrating, collecting within the star.

            And blasted the ghost point-blank.

            The Psybeam, he knew, would do little better than Confusion… but… there was still a better chance…

            Vandalus' laugh was bone-chilling even to Xavier as the Kadabra's arms dropped beneath it.  While conscious, he had expended so much energy he could barely move… barely hear his mistress crying out to him… barely see as the Haunter began chasing down its own trainer…

            "Lucky shot, mainlander!  But your Kadabra is finished, and I saw your Lapras collapse already!"  Vandalus grinned viciously.  "Victory is mine!  Go!  Machoke!"

            Julianne couldn't believe it.  Xavier had come so far… and now, to be crushed by a fighting type?  It wasn't dignified, much less fair!  If only there was something she could do!

            Xavier couldn't – wouldn't – allow it.  The idea of it!  He had beaten a ghost!  To be beaten by a musclehead would be a disgrace to his entire race!

            But how to fight back?  He was exhausted, unable to even lift himself from the ground.

            Digging deep within himself, he sought any reserves he had left.  Any ounce of strength, any trace of willpower.  All he needed was a little more…

            It seemed to come from all over – an answer to his pleading with himself.  Strength – not a lot, but enough – flowed into him, from _within_ himself.

            "That's it, Xavier!" he heard his mistress cheer.  "Recover!"

            So it was – something else he must have gained from the experience of this tournament.

            If anyone thought to take him from Anne, he was going to make them think twice.

            The Machoke hesitated as the Kadabra climbed easily to his feet.  Sharing a glance with his mistress, it was as if the two, for the briefest moment, thought as one.

            "Xavier!" Julianne cried.  "Use Psybeam!"

            Vandalus Reaper stormed from the stadium without claiming his prize.  It was determined that Daleson and Manison would battle in two days for second place if Vandalus did not return by then.

            The red laurel held the colors of flame, a physical representation of the Fireleaf Tournament's name.  Julianne could feel the flush beneath her still-tender cheeks and new layer of sunburn from the cleared skies.  Healers put salves on Xavier and Runt's injuries and offered them fruit broths and icy spring water for refreshment.

            The Fire Crystal felt warm in Julianne's hand as it seemed to glow with an inner flame, as warm as the wonderful glow in her face.

            The warmth only grew at the first sight of her Ponyta.

            The sleek hide was the color and sheen of a pearl, warm and bright in the clear afternoon light.  The ears were alert, erect, and perfectly straight, legs long, bony, and powerful.  Along the head, shoulders, and legs, brilliantly bright flames danced with a life of their own.  The tail was a torch in and of itself, flames eager and strong.

            Was it possible to fall in love with a Pokémon? Julianne wondered.  Had she ever seen anything so beautiful?

            With a Ponyta, once she was across the waters she could ride home within hours!  With three new Pokémon, an element crystal, and a tournament crown of laurel besides!  Had any girl ever done so much?

            She could imagine coming home on this amazing creature, riding straddle like a boy in her breeches, the red, white, and blue apricorns clipped to her belt.  She imagined passing the house where Julie lived with her husband, little son, and Gloom, passed the mill her great-great-grandfather had helped his father and four younger brothers build, down the clay slope shortcut to the sprawling, one-level whiteface farmhouse she had been born and grown up in, where Julius worked with their father to run the mill, where her mother kept the books with mathematical genius and ran the house like a well-oiled clock, where Avius trained his dozen or so Pokémon and little Julia played with the same cloth dolls she and Julie had played with before her.  Just as with most families, the girls and firstborn son were given forms of their father's name, leaving only Avius to have any originality to his.

            Her blood turned cold as the daydream turned more realistic.  She saw her mother's humiliation, Avius' jeering taunts, her father's shame.  Avius would take the Ponyta for his own: Runt he'd likely keep as well, but Xavier and perhaps even Uli would be sent to her cousins in Cerulean to fight over.  No one would ever know of her feat; the subject would be banned.  She would be barred from ever leaving the house: a marriage would be arranged for her since she would have no opportunity to accept suitors.  She would never see Xavier again, and not likely ever have a Pokémon again, especially if her imminent husband was informed of her antics in Cinnabar.

            The tears in her eyes as she took the Ponyta's reins were not of joy.

            And as she walked toward the Red Rhyhorn, exhausted and forlorn, she threw the laurel crown into the sea.


	4. To the Water

            The morning following the Fireleaf Tournament dawned hot and tepid, the air humid from the recent rain, the haze thick enough to take on tints of the sky, like vague auroras.

            Julianne woke only under protest, to the urgent whining of Uli.  She groaned, pulling the covers over her head, not wanting to face the day.  She didn't think she could stand one more person congratulating her or calling her by her stupid boyish pseudonym.  Cinnabarans reacted two ways toward the mainlander who had taken their tournament: treated "him" with the respect deserved by a talented amateur trainer and requesting repeatedly to see the champion Pokémon and the thoroughbred Ponyta, or give "him" the cold shoulder, as if "his" victory was a fluke at best, but likely to have come about through foul play.

            In her current frame of mind, Julianne felt more in agreement with the latter group.  Girls were so obviously banned from tournaments it wasn't even in the rules.  It was so _accepted_, it wasn't even _mentioned_, not as being an expert had been in the rules to the Fireleaf.  She hadn't just broken the rules: she had broken the _law_.  And for what?  To humor a stubborn Pokémon?  Or was it more?

            Why _had_ she entered the tournament?  Had the power of her disguise gone to her head?  Had her freedom made her into a fool?

            Or had it given her a chance to taste the freedoms she had so long yearned for?

            _No_!  It was _wrong_!  Girls didn't battle, and their Pokémon certainly didn't either.  She had to get home, where she was supposed to be.  Her parents had to be worried to illness.  A girl her age, missing without a trace, had no honorable paths: it was basically a choice between slavery and prostitution.

            In comparison, maybe impersonating a Pokémon trainer wouldn't seem so bad…

            Slipping out of the bed, she again prepared herself to face the day.  A fresh shirt and breeches from a tailor who offered her a discount felt luxurious after almost a week in the same attire.  They didn't fit quite properly, since she'd claimed not to have the time to be measured, but she didn't have to stuff the pantlegs into her boots anymore.  A silk Johtoan handkerchief a little girl had given her tied her hair back, and a pack made from soft-cured Tauros hide she'd purchased the evening before replaced the rough burlap she'd carried her belongings in.  Opening the window, she pulled the doublet off the sill where she'd hung it for the night to freshen it.

            What had happened to the sky?  There wasn't a single cloud to be seen from horizon to horizon. What fickle weather Cinnabar had! A storm like that which had come over but two days before would have lingered a day or so more amid the hills of Fuchsia.  Not that she was about to complain! The sea was as azure as the sky it reflected, clearest blue hazed with gray: it begged to be crossed. The day was likely to become like those when she wandered the dry flats, brutal as a Magmar's tail.

            She clipped her pokéballs – white for Xavier, red for Uli, blue for Runt, and now a pearl-shined white for the as yet unnamed Ponyta – to the belt loops of her breeches after slipping the cool doublet over her blouse, wrestling with the dampened laces.  At last, with the pack thrown over one shoulder and Uli carried under the other arm, with Xavier following close behind, she headed down to breakfast.

            "Ah, hail the mainlander!" the innkeeper greeted her with a friendly grin.  And why not?  She'd refused to take the room for free the night before.  "All rested for your trip, now?  And aren't ya glad ya stayed!"

            "Yeah… glad."  She forced a smile as she took a seat at a small table, letting Uli romp around the floor while Xavier pulled a chair over to sit beside her.  Understandably, the Ponyta and Runt could not be allowed loose in his establishment, but the innkeeper had given her permission to allow Xavier to roam freely – and Uli as well, so long as the young Vulpix didn't damage anything.

            "What'll you have then?"

            "Fried beef and eggs would be nice… and maybe one of those oranges, if you still have some."

            "All right then…"

            "And if you could, some greens for Xavier?  Some jerky and milk will be enough for Uli."

            He chuckled.  "All right then," he said again.  "And not to be forgetting any honey bread while y're here.  Better then the wheat loaf.  M' cousin traded a few o' the Tentacool he got for a half a swarm of Beedrill.  He'll be 'Comb' 'stead o' 'Mariner' soon enough."

            "Your cousin?" she echoed curiously.  "Is that Alexus' father?"

            He gave her a look of surprise.  "Nay, but you've met Alexus?"

            She nodded.  "I came with a fairly bad sunburn.  I bought some balm from his master the apothecary while Alexus was in charge of the stall."

            "Aye!  Aye, I recall how red ya were when ya came.  Didn' know y'd met Alex!"

            "He was the one who pointed out your inn to me."

            "Good lad, good lad he is.  Good t' the family, little as he stands that loon of a master apothecary."

            "I'm sorry?"

            "Nah, nah… none of yours t' worry 'bout, boyo.  Wretched toad, that ol' man is, but he pays well and it makes the lad feel good 'bout himself, methinks."

            Julianne was left to ponder this while the innkeeper went  to fix breakfast for herself, her Pokémon, and a few other patrons who shouted their orders as he headed toward the kitchen.  Some of the others were giving Xavier curious or uncomfortable looks, but she forced herself to ignore them.  As if sensing how ill at ease she felt about the day before, Xavier's natural hunch seemed more pronounced than usual, that with his drooping mustache he had the look of a weathered old man with horns for ears and a muzzlish nose.  In truth, Xavier was only about four or five at her wager: he's been no more than one when she'd found him fast asleep in her mother's vegetable garden when she herself was only nine.  For a Pokémon, his age made him mature, but not elderly: Uli would probably have his other pair of tails within a month, though it'd take another two or three before the little vulpine reached full size.

            How had Xavier gotten enough experience to evolve?  Certainly there had been the occasional skirmish – wild Rattata and Sandshrew that'd gotten into the garden, nibbling things until they spoiled and digging up bulbs to ruin the flowers.  Avius was supposed to take care of those, but he was often lazy, and his pathetically pampered Pokémon took after him.  While he'd needed just as much sleep as the next Abra, Xavier had been more likely to deal with troubles that came around, scaring off the garden's invaders with a show of teleportation or flitting thoughts of predators sneaking up on them.  The worst had been the Raticate who'd bitten her father when he went to check on the tomatoes: Avius had been away at a training exercise with his Pokémon and the vicious little monster had already bitten and clawed their garden Pokémon into submission, that her mother's quartet of Oddish were hiding beneath the soil and Catcher and his mother were using their Vine Whips to hide in the cherry tree, out of reach of those cruel teeth.

            It had been about a year ago, hadn't it?  Yes, late summer of the year before.  When Avius came home from a month's worth of hard training, he gloated constantly over Javelin's evolution.  Xavier had gotten some harsh wounds that took a long time to heal from that vicious old Raticate, but he'd been the only one able to chase it off before it ruined the entire garden.

            She blinked herself out of her thoughts when she noticed Xavier's curious expression: she'd been staring at him blankly.  How long had she been doing that?  She smiled sheepishly, an expression that faded as she noted the odd-looking mark on the front of his heavy left shoulder: an pale brown oval, thicker at the top and bottom, like a reverse-colored kohl drawing around an aristocratic woman's eye.  It was easily overlooked if she hadn't known where it would be.  Apparently, scars did not erase with evolution: the worst from his bout with that Raticate was still there, the mark of the Hyper Fang he had taken just above his heart.

            "Fried t' perfection, beef an' eggs an' some orange from the kingdom's of the name.  Saltweed an' tubers should keep ya Kadabra goin' all day long, right an' filling.  An' milk'n jerky for the pup.  An' the honey bread o' course.  There y'are, boyo."  Julianne smiled gratefully at the feast set before them, especially the tea kettle placed next to her steaming breakfast: the innkeeper here let the leaves seep until there wasn't a bit of flavor left to them, making for a broth almost as dark as stew and so strong she'd winced at her first sip of it.  But the taste!  She had never thought of tea having much taste on its own before.  When she'd complimented it he'd been confused: it must be how Cinnabarans brewed theirs.  Her mother was always careful to strain the leaves with a piece of cheesecloth when she poured the tea, that she could save them to be used again.  Her mother believed in getting at least three kettles out of one portion of leaves.  Julianne had always wondered why she didn't just use a third of the leaves, and why her mother insisted that consuming the leaves reversed any good effects the tea did for whomever drank it.

            Xavier looked down at his breakfast with an expression of resignation.  As appetizing as Julianne's looked, his did not.  The innkeeper had ground whatever he had deemed edible to Pokémon into a singular, moss-green mush that smelled somewhat of dirt and greatly of salt.  Uli danced at the innkeeper's feet, whining impatiently until he could get his snout into the mix of milk and dried meat.  At the rate he ate it he likely didn't have time to taste it.

            "Um… could Xavier have a spoon at least?"  The mound of mush looked far too soft to attempt any other utensil, and not only was it lumpy, but the flat plate it was served on made drinking it seem silly.

            "A spoon?  For a Pokémon?"  The innkeeper laughed.  "That's the day!  Whatever ya like, mainlander."  When he returned it was with the asked-for utensil, as well as a second teacup.  "I suppose he drinks tea as well?"

            "Only when he's been ill, but I bet he'll like it!  It's really strong here, Xavier; it makes Mother's taste like water."  Xavier raised a muscle over his eye in curiosity, reaching for the tea kettle agreeably.

            The innkeeper burst out laughing as the Kadabra served his trainer before himself.  "No wonder he outdid that ghost back there!  Never seen the day, a Pokémon with manners!"  The innkeeper wiped his eyes free of tears.  "You gots 'im real well trained in more'n battle!"

            "Xavier's my best friend.  He's always been this way."

            "Y'r lucky then, I s'pose, or mebbe them mainland Pokémon are just not so rough as sea-bred or fire-born like we's got here."  He couldn't help but snigger as Xavier took a sip of tea, though his expression grew more uncomfortable at the Pokémon's pleasant smile and all-too-human nod of approval.  "Right ol' aristocrat, ain't he!"

            "He certainly has better manners than most of the people in my family," Julianne agreed with a laugh.  "He's a really good influence on the others.  If my brother's Pokémon took notice of him they might learn a thing or two."

            "Oh ho, another Miller trainer?  No sendin' 'im here on us now, boyo!"

            She wrinkled her nose.  "I wouldn't want to torment you."

            "Nothin' like a bit o' rivalry to help ya do y'r best.  I bets he's done most o' your trainin' with ya."

            "Not really.  Father's let him go to training twice over the summer, and is looking into getting him an squireship in the Emperor's guard next year."

            "The Emperor's guard, truly?  And not you?"

            Julianne bit her lip.  _Stupid!  Why did you keep with this foolish conversation?_  "Well… he's older."

            Understanding passed over the innkeeper's expression.  Age always determined worth among sons, unless one was an absolute idiot.  "And as talented, I hope, for the Emperor's sake."

            "We've never battled, and the mill's so far away from anywhere, I've never seen him train against anything more than a couple wild Pokémon.  I honestly can't say."

            "Well, as said, for the Emperor's sake may the talent be part of your family's line! P'haps in some years you c'n be known as Trainer or Pokémaster and show that brother o' yours when he's still a Miller!"

            "Yeah…"  Julianne focused her attention on her breakfast to hide her expression from the innkeeper.  "As you say… that's the day."  At her apparent disinterest, the innkeeper took the hint and continued on with his own business.

            Julianne ate in silence, disturbed only as she was finishing when a little girl perhaps half her age peered over the edge of her table.  "Is that the 'dabra who beat the Haunter in the finals th'other day?"

            "Mmhmm," Julianne replied, mouth full of the last of the eggs.  She swallowed quickly, doing her best not to choke from not chewing.  "That's him all right."

            "So y'r the Miller."  She looked at her curiously with honey-colored eyes that seemed eerily familiar.  Her thick waves of haystack-like hair were tied with more control than seemed possible in a trio of thick, hot-iron curls clipped together at the back of her head.  Julianne had never bothered with hot irons: they were better for shorter, finer hair than she had.  Her heavy, back-length brown reeds of hair would probably melt before they took a decent form wound about a red-hot iron rod.  "You wons the Fireleaf yest'rday," the girl stated with the motley accent of a local.

            "That's right…"

            "Do you gots lots o' Pokémon?"

            "No, not really."

            "What kinds ya gots?"

            "Well… there's Xavier here."  The Kadabra nodded politely to the child's stare.  "And Uli's under the table."  The Vulpix was busily trying to lick all of the splashed milk off the floor as well as his muzzle.  "And I have Runt, who helped Xavier battle yesterday, and the Ponyta I won.  At home I have a Bellsprout named Catcher because he's really good at finding things and catching any bugs that get into the house.  Do you have any?"

            "My uncle giv'd me a Magikarp f'r m'birthday, but I let it go 'cause it was mean, so my cousin tried really, really hard and gots me a Goldeen instead awhile ago."

            "Really?  That was nice of him!  What's your Goldeen's name?"

            "Cuz didn't give 'im one so I didn't neither."

            "Oh."

            "I gots another Pokémon too. My daddy broughts it back when he went climbin' the volcano.  It's a real, real little Geodude. She lets me dress her and lots o' other stuff."

            "It sounds like you have a pair of really nice Pokémon then."

            "Uh huh.  Are yours nice?"

            Julianne chuckled.   "Runt can be a handful… but-"

            "Elsie!  On with you, sprat!"  The innkeeper hurried back to the table.  "My apologies if Gelasia's chattering's vexed ya, boyo…"

            "No!  I don't mind."  It'd been nice to talk to someone who was still small enough that how she spoke and what she said didn't matter.  "I have a little sister a bit younger than… Gelasia?"  The girl blinked at her, as if noticing some strange disfigurement she had overlooked before.  Those honey-amber eyes really were fairly unnerving, at least when their attention was fully upon her.  "I'll be going home soon: I'm looking forward to seeing my sis again."

            "I wanna go to the mainland but P'pa says I'm too little."

            "And you are!  Imagine, being so far from home!"

            "I've gone farther than Fuchsia on my Uncle Thathes' boat tons o' times."

            "Twice at best," the innkeeper corrected, "and I'll thrash that bother of a brother yet again if he so much as thinks t'do it ag'n."

            "Thathes… that wouldn't be Alex's father, would it?"  That's where she'd seen Gelasia's eyes before: they were the same unearthly amber as Alexus had.

            "Thathes?  Nah, Thathes hasn't any children – no missus, y'see.  So he spoils his brothers' children when he has the mind to.  No, Alexan dis'peered some years 'go out t'sea… left just his missus, the four girls and Alex.  That's when the poor lad 'bout sold himself t' the apothecary.  Not so good o' pay f'r a fishwife, not enough for the four gals to live off of.  There were dowries to think of."

            The innkeeper shook his head, waving away the dark story he wove as if to drive away a foul odor.  "Three o' the four're married, now, 'course, all 'cept the youngest who's betrothed t' Canner's second.  Good lad, tad uptight, but up an' comin' and sure t'keep her happy.  Alex's the secon' youngest y'see.  His mum c'n take care of 'erself, certain enough.  Could likely marry again if she thought to… Alexan's been gone a good few years now, an' he wasn't the sort to do so."

            "That means Alex doesn't _have_ to work for the apothecary if he doesn't want to, doesn't it?" Julianne asked.  It seemed to make sense.  If he really didn't like the work, why should he stay if he didn't have to?

            "And t' go where, then?" the innkeeper retorted.

            "It's a big island," she replied.  Was that ever the truth!  She had the sunburn to prove it!  "He could collect Pokémon."

            "Cuz's got near ever' Pokémon on th' isle!" Gelasia cried.  "He's got Tentacool an' Magmar an' a Ponyta an' two Growlithe an'…"

            "Elsie!"  Gelasia bit her lip in chagrin.  The innkeeper shook his head at her but ruffled her hair with affection.  "Aye, Alex's got his share o' the Poke's 'round 'ere.  If I could convince the boy t' go t' the mainland I sure would, but like it or not he's islandborn.  Likely stick out sore're than you do here, no offense t' ya, boyo."  Truthfully, Julianne was getting used to it.

            "Do you have any family on the mainland?"

            The innkeeper laughed outright, smacking a hand on the table at the hilarity of the concept.  "Mariners's stick t' where they do their good, lad, and that's at sea!  Any o' 'em that trade away their sea legs don' keep touch – too costly, truly, to send th' mail overseas u'less they're sendin' money or gifts f'r their family back 'ere anyway."  Snagging an empty chair at a neighboring table, he swung it around to sit down, leaning on his elbows to lower his voice.  Xavier frowned a bit at him, but the innkeeper took no notice.  "Y' wouldn't think it too forward t' ask, but d' y' think it'd be likely y'r folks not mindin' boardin' Alex f'r a bit?  He'd sure enough do his share t' earn his keep, he's a good lad, as y' know.  An' I'd forward any coin y'd think they'd ask for 'im t' 'ave a roof awhile."

            "Alex… stay with _me_?"  She hoped her voice didn't crack.  Come home with a boy she barely knew!  Her father would be as likely to throw her out to the street as to demand they marry to avoid a scandal.  She certainly didn't intend to marry yet!  And besides that… if Alexus was to travel home with her, even if she did convince her parents that he was only an escort… there was the slight problem of Alexus thinking she was a boy.  And not just a boy, but an up-and-coming Pokémon trainer who had won the Fireleaf.  There was no telling how he'd react to that!  "I… I really don't think they'd allow it," she stammered, cursing herself for not sounding more certain of it.

            "Surely if there's coins and work enough f'r it another head under the roof won't be too much, would it?" he insisted.  "If the house isn't so big, he'd have no troubles sleepin' on y'r floor."  A boy sleeping on her floor!  Even Avius wasn't allowed to do that when they needed a spare room for guests.  He slept with his Pokémon in the stable.  "An' if the Poke's would be the problem, then jus' say so t' 'im an' he'll not bring all the lot."

            "I… I really just don't think it'd go well to bring a stranger home with me… I was supposed to be home already, and coming home late with someone in tow really won't sit well with my parents.  I'll already have to explain why I'm late…"

            "Late!"  The hand hit the table again as the innkeeper laughed.  "Show 'em that fine stallion o' y'rs an' I don' think they'll argue too harsh wi' ya."  That much, at least, held a ring of truth: with a Pokémon like the Ponyta not only could she ride home with ease, but imagine how much better work around the mill would be with a strong Pokémon like that!  If she could lie convincingly about how she had gotten it, such a prize would likely become part of her dowry if Avius didn't somehow beg it off of her…

            She shook her head, more to focus herself than at the innkeeper's insistence.  "No.  Forgive me, but it'll not be so easy as that."

            "Aye… well, if that's that then.  I'm sorry t' be a bother 'bout it, boyo, but as y'r seein', Alex's the only boy o' th' family, his gran'father's only grandson.  I've Gelasia, Alexan had the five… Thathes hasn't a missus and Ferrio's had three and not a kid with one o' 'em.  He's not much for th' sea: jus' tryin' to look for his interests, is all."

            "Not much for the sea?" Julianne echoed.

            "Cuz gets seasick real easy," Gelasia replied. 

            Julianne suppressed a smile.  A seasick Mariner!  She could see where that would be difficult.  "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

            "Nay, boyo, s'not your fault."  He smiled to show he was joking, a kindly expression a bit soured by his yellowing teeth.  "'tis your folks' loss, not t' meet a lad like Alex."

            "I'll be certain to let them know," she lied.

            Walking out of the inn was like walking into a blanket soaked in boiled water; Julianne reeled before getting her bearings.  "Ugh!" she muttered, leaning against the wall for a moment.  She shaded her eyes against the ferocious glare with her hand as she started on her way toward the north pier.  If she was sweating, she couldn't tell from the cruel humidity in the air.

            The north pier had undergone a transformation after the rain, crowded now with hawkers and fishmongers, boats preparing to set sail and an eerie-looking man missing a front tooth trying to sell gray-skinned, worn-out-looking Lapras to those who passed him.  The last was Gap Jack, no doubt.  Runt looked more worthy than every one of the ones Gap Jack was trying to sell combined.  A gold piece certainly seemed like a fair price now.

            As she walked she shook her head slightly from side to side, thereby automatically dismissing any hawkers who noted her.  It was a trick she'd seen her father use, and while it looked a bit silly, it was fairly effective.  She headed for the edge farthest from Gap Jack, not wanting to chance him seeing Runt and trying to convince people she'd stolen her.  She wanted to _avoid _any troubles today.

            Glancing over the side of the dock, she frowned; up close, the sea looked green today.  Was that a good thing or not?  It seemed calm enough, but she'd heard about how calm the ocean could seem before a great storm.  She looked back over her shoulder: most of these people made their livings by the sea, and would meet their ends by it if they didn't know how to read it.  She tapped the arm of the closest wareseller. "How long do you think the weather is going to hold?" she asked.

            The boy couldn't be much older than she was, though a faint fuzz of a beard was just beginning on his face.  "Weather? Ah, yer the Miller! Quite the battle yesterday!"  He looked upward, eyes scanning the sky, then opened his mouth a bit before sniffing the air.  All Julianne could scent was salt. "Least the day.  I'd say we'd get a bit o' rain again tonight but nothin' near the wretchedness a couple nights ago."

            "So… it should be okay to head back now…"

            "Got yer tan an' yer rep and leavin' us so soon, Miller? Ah well. How's yer catch?"

            "Catch?"

            "Aye, with the peelin' yer at you've been here awhile, yeah?  Get any Pokémon beyond the filly?"

            "Stallion… actually… and I really… um, didn't have the time."

            The seller spat over the edge of the dock. "What kinda amateur are ya? No stronger Pokes of water or fire are found but on Cinnabar. Even if ya have the types don' mean you can't have dupes. You gotta have skill in trainin', but that's a waste if ye don't have the power t' back ye up!"

            "I'm fine with the ones I got," Julianne retorted. "And I have to get back home. Thank you for your help…"

            "C'mon, now, to have gone to Cinnabar and not gotten a Poke?"

            "I got a Lapras from Sanulus just the other day."

            "Sanulus! Well, y'know good ones at sight I suppose. M' p'pa sells the land Pokes.  Ground and fire types, y'see."

            "Thank you but no. I have no need for either."

            "Bah!  'less you been trainin' one o' yer land Pokes years now they ain't gonna be a match to a good Cinnabaran attack! Our litt'lest Magmar could boil out yer Lapras I betcha."

            _Maybe_… no! What was she thinking? She didn't need any more Pokémon! Besides… "My Ponyta is a fire type, and last I saw was bred here," she pointed out.

            "Aye, aye, I suppose it's so."

            "And it's _my _understanding that ground types from the mountains of Indigo are far greater than the ones you can trip over here."

            "That might be-"

            "Thank you for your help, but I have to be going."  She turned away, swallowing a sigh of relief.  Never again would she roll her eyes over Avius's prattlings!  He had been sent to Indigo a summer ago but had come home empty handed.  "I have to go back next year," he'd demanded, to their father's dismay. "They were too strong.  Nothing's stronger than mountain-bred rock and ground types. I _must_ have one! I have to!"

            "Let's go home, Runt!" she said, taping open the Lure Ball. "And about time, too."

            Once in the water, the Lapras looked upward, mouth slightly agape in eerie similarity to the wareseller.  Did she learn that way from humans, or had humans adopted it from Lapras? How could the people of the Orange Kingdom really eat such intelligent-looking creatures?  Julianne's stomach soured at the thought. So much of life relied on Pokémon – not just for protection, but also for leather, for brute work, and for both harvesting and becoming food.  Everyday at home she had to check the coop to see if there were any Pidgey eggs to be made into omelets or used in baking, and her father also used the better-trained Pidgey to scatter seed in the spring for planting. Only the better trained ones though… the others were too likely to eat it…

            Runt's impatient whinny brought her back to the present. A dull ache in her chest told her how badly she missed being home: why was she delaying it like this? It was true that the wareseller's words sparked the tempting urge to stay just a day or so more, trying her hand at catching some land Pokémon here, but what was the use? Certainly they could be helpful around the mill if trained, but more likely than not they would simply be given to Avius.  She wouldn't torture a Pokémon like that.

            "All right, Runt.  You're right, I get so worked up about going home… and now…" By now, her hand had long fallen to her side, her eyes adjusted to the glare.  Where once the overwhelming smell of fish and tar would have turned her stomach, it had a more fulfilling quality to it, proof that even in such a harsh land as this there were those who would not trade it for an emperor's ransom.  And here, there was no one who knew…

            But they would know, she told herself, shaking her head at her own foolishness.  _For now the doublet suits my purposes, but in a year or so it won't be enough._  She doubted she could make a living out of Pokémon training here – that required a great deal of traveling, which would mean going to the mainland sometime.  And going to the mainland would mean the chance of someone recognizing her.  And the chance of someone recognizing her would mean…

            Cautiously she sat on the edge of the dock, reaching out with one foot toward Runt's back.  Obligingly the Lapras moved a little closer, but still she bobbed on the waves, making a firm foothold impossible.  Grimacing a bit, Julianne gave herself a push; neither foot found purchase on Runt's shell, instead sliding off to either side, that she found herself straddling one of the protruding horns. She quickly grabbed hold of it to keep from falling off.  She winced as the impact traveled up her spine, but mused that it was fortunate she was not as masculine as she dressed.

            "Sorry," she replied to Runt's look of disdain.  "Not real used to this."  Using the horn to steady herself, she slid one foot up the shell, forcing herself to balance on it as she used the other to step closer to the Lapras' head, where there was a slightly wider space amongst the horns.  Once there she sat down with relief, both legs on one side as she was supposed to.  "Okay.  To the mainland!"


	5. To the Plantation

            A scream startled her to consciousness, but for some reason, it didn't seem to matter as much as it should.  Resting her head against what it had been propped up on, Julianne wanted nothing more to go back to sleep, but then the scream was in her ear, startling her once more and causing her to lose her balance.  A brief flare of panic swept her as she suddenly recalled where she was and waited for the cold sting of seawater, but instead her landing was hard and painful, and merely damp.

            Runt screamed a third time, butting her hard with her head.  Julianne winced.  "What's wrong with you?" she tried to say, but it came out as an unintelligible moan.  Once again panic threatened to set in, but again, it seemed distant, unimportant.  Sleep was important… she just wanted to go back to sleep…

            Runt would have none of it.  Again she hit her trainer, one of her fleshy horns digging into Julianne's ribs.  A steady scolding trill made Julianne's numb head pound.  It took a great deal of effort to get any response out of her arms and legs, though what little they moved was not helpful in the least.  What was wrong with her?  The last thing she remembered was staring down into the water, trying to see any Pokémon that might swim beneath Runt's fins, as there was nothing else to see…

            Not even her eyes were working right, she realized suddenly.  Everything was a blurring of grays and dull browns, that where the ground ended and Runt began was invisible.  What was wrong with her?  Had something she'd eaten gotten to her this way?  Or had she forgotten something? Yes. Something important… but nothing seemed important at the moment. Since when was she so apathetic?

            Her stomach lurched as she felt herself move, and her head felt willing to break itself off her neck to escape this unreal place it was anchored in.  Each time she started to slip toward the comfort of unconsciousness the one carrying her gave her a rough shake, to which she could only moan in protest.  Her tongue felt sheathed in fur, her mouth as if someone had stuffed an entire shirt in there.

            What had she forgotten?  Why was it important? Why didn't she really care…?

            "Is it safe to see him, then?"

            Julianne sat straight up at the sudden voice from no where.  She winced as the dim candlelight renewed the pounding ache between her brows and scalp.  Wait… candlelight?  She forced her eyes open fully.  The full, urgent sense of panic was at once terrifying and somehow a comfort.  She cared again.

            "Oh, you're awake then! Good to see."  Forcing herself not to squint, it still took some effort to focus on the girl standing in the doorway.  Doorway?  Where was she?

            "What…"  Her voice was thick and slurred, but the word was actually understandable.

            "Silly fellow!"  The girl laughed, covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle it.  "I take it you went to Cinnabar on a boat and came back with new Pokémon!  You should have come back with some water too, and a hat."

            Water!  _How could you have been so stupid?_ Julianne scolded herself. Of course she should have brought water with her for the return trip.  That had been what she had forgotten, what was so important.  Riding on Runt's back on such a clear day in the midst of the sea was as good as setting herself in a frying pan.

            Wait… fellow?  She drew up her knees quickly in hopes of disguising her chest.  How was it she'd gotten into a bed without anyone realizing what she was?  Risking a glance at herself she paled: so far as she could tell, she was only clad in a loose nightshirt.  There was no feel of a sea salt crust on her skin, so she must have been bathed. How could this girl still call her a boy? "How… how did I get here?" she ventured.

            "Oh!  My apologies.  You must be very confused.  My name is Sari Pallet."  The girl bowed politely.  "It was really the most curious thing. You were carried in by a Kadabra who wouldn't let a single person near you! Such a protective creature.  You must be very close."

            Xavier!  He must have broken free of his ball when Runt started screaming.  Had Runt returned to her ball or was she still… on the beach?  Was that where she had regained consciousness?  "He…"

            "Oh, he's right there at the foot of the bed, but since you didn't remember a hat I suppose you're still a bit sea-blind.  The waters get an awful glare in clear weather; it's horrid for the eyes.  Really, such a loyal creature! Brought you in, bathed you, set you to bed and has been keeping watch since.  When Mr. Vars went to get your clothes to clean them for you he walked right into a Light Screen!" The girl – Sari – laughed lightly.  "I checked to be certain I wouldn't before I opened the door. I brought more water for you."  She held up a lump of something - a pitcher? - as evidence.

            Xavier… he had protected her secret.  Didn't Sari suspect anything?  What kind of trainer had a Pokémon that kept people from doing something nice like laundry?  _I must have been in the bath at the time_… The soreness of her face told her that her sunburn was worse than ever, so it was not likely anyone would see her blush for several days, yet.  She hadn't been bathed since she had gotten influenza when she was six.  The feeling was similar now… the painful burning sensation in her face (though it was in her hands now as well), the dizziness, the painfully dry, cloth-like feeling in her mouth.  _How could you have done something so foolish to yourself?  _At this rate her parents would never recognize her. So many burns right on top of one another would undoubtedly give her a much darker face, and most likely give her wrinkles.  She was going to look like such a wretch when she got home!  She dared not cry; to do so would sting her already scorched skin, drying it out further. Adding salt to the wound would help nothing.  "Runt… was there a Lapras? On the beach I mean?"

            "A Lapras? Not that I saw…"

            "Xavier… had to have gotten out.  So maybe she went back in. My pokéballs, where…?"

            "On the desk, not so far from the bed.  I'm sure if it wasn't hurt your Lapras should be fine. It might rain a bit but nothing to be frightened of, especially for a water Pokémon."  Sari approached the bed, setting the pitcher beside it.  "Mr. Vars says you are going to have to stay at least a couple days, trainer.  Your burns are very bad.  At least most of you was covered at the time.  But you will be needing much water and rest for a day or two."

            "I have m… I mean, I'll pay for my room…"

            Sari laughed again.  "Think nothing of it," she assured her.  "We have trainers stay all the time.  Money is hard enough to come by unless you're very skilled.  You're not the first to meet such trouble in your crossing, but to do so I'd say you're rather new at being nomadic.  What is your name, trainer?"

            "Ju… Jules.  Miller."

            "It is good to make your acquaintance, Jules Miller."  Sari smiled brightly, showing a flash of teeth.  "Not to worry then.  Dinner will be in about an hour.  I'll bring it in to you, along with some more water.  Rest now, but make certain you finish the water I brought you.  You're as dehydrated as your skin, without a doubt."  She bowed politely, going back to the door.  She smiled once more before closing it behind her.

            "Xavier?"  She heard the rustle of feet, before she felt his hand weigh on her own.  She could make out the frame of his heavy shoulders and the triangular horned head above it, but the dimness of the light and her aching eyes could barely note the blur of the star on his forehead.  She had only known Sari as a girl from her dress and her voice. "Xavier, what would I do without you?"  She leaned over in the bed, hugging him tightly.  "I have to convince Daddy that there was no other way.  If you hadn't evolved I would never have escaped.  I might be dead by now, or worse, and never have the chance to come back.  I can't let you be given away to Avius or my cousins.  I can't!  You've saved me so many times this week!"  He grunted in embarrassment, making her laugh.  "I could never give you up.  You've never given up on me and I won't ever do the same.  If Daddy won't let me keep you… if he won't I'll have to go on being Jules then.  Until I find someplace else to live and make it on my own."

            "Da."  Xavier's voice was curt.  "Kada, kadabra.  Kadabra."

            "I don't care. With you and Runt and the Ponyta I'll be more than ready to handle anything I have to."

            "Kadabra…"

            "You worry too much."

            "Dab dabra!"

            She laughed.  "I worry when I have to.  And this isn't one of the times I'm going to.  Did she leave a cup or do I have to drink from the pitcher?  Oh, thank you."  The ceramic mug felt cool in her hands; the water was like ice down her throat.  Shivering, she let the next mouthful warm in her mouth.  "At least the rest of the way will be on land," she noted.  "You can keep me from doing anything else stupid."

            It was not until the next day that Julianne learned that she'd already been a guest of the Pallet family for over a day.

            "Anytime I tried to bring more water before yesterday, your Kadabra stopped me and treated you himself," Sari explained at dinner on the third day, when at last Julianne was allowed to be out of bed awhile.  She had been glad to find Runt waiting impatiently on the beach for her, and had since returned the Lapras to her pokéball.  Sari laughed, smiling brightly.  "Either he must be very protective, or you must be very shy."

            "A… bit of both, I suppose," Julianne replied with a wry smile.  There was no apparent discomfort on Sari's part that Xavier sat in the chair beside his trainer; she herself had a petite Pidgey perched on the back of her chair.  "Is that your Pidgey?"

            "Indeed it is!  This is Hera.  Isn't she cute?  I suppose you wouldn't say so, but I think she is."  The Pidgey cooed its agreement.

            "She looks very healthy."

            "She only gets dried food in the winter; otherwise I always feed her fresh seeds.  That's how she's so glossy.  She and my grass Pokémon are my only companions besides Mr. Vars when my parents are away… they go out often, you see.  They own a great many ships.  Lots of the fishermen of Cinnabar actually don't own their boats, Momma and Poppa do.  Shipmakers are awful when it comes to selling their ships; if you don't buy it outright they make you pay far too much interest.  That's why Momma and Poppa help out the fishermen when they can.  They buy the ships directly from the shipmakers.  They ask for interest too, but not _nearly_ as much as the shipbuilders do."

            "Oh, I see.  Does that help to support the plantation?"

            "It does."  Sari looked relieved.  "Some trainers assume that's all we use to pay for our needs but that's not it at all.  In generations past the plantation was all we needed to sustain us, but after the Empire was established, with the taxes we need to pay to the Emperor we were losing a bit at a time.  Since Poppa began subsidizing the fishermen we don't have that problem anymore.  Certainly, there isn't as much money on hand, but in assets we're much better off."

            "Your mother goes with your father to work?"

            "Oh yes."  Sari's ready laugh was infectious, bringing a smile to Julianne's face.  "Poppa is terrible with faces.  Momma remembers the fishermen by name, Poppa by boat."

            Xavier squirmed in his chair.  "What's wrong?"  He blew into his moustache, shrugging his slouched shoulders.  "You're not fooling anyone, you know."

            Sari giggled.  "You understand him so well! You must be very close.  How long have you had him?"

            "About five years now."

            "Oh!  That's a long time!"

            "I didn't really train him at all - at least, not until very recently, when he evolved.  It was very unexpected.  He was a pet, really."

            "I didn't know trainers kept any Pokémon as pets."

            "I didn't start training until very recently either."

            "Oh, I see."  Sari took a drink from her glass.  "As the week is ending shortly we may be having another guest or two.  Most trainers do not travel this time of year since Cinnabar's summer starts so early, but there are some who wait until the last minute to come back.  Where is it you hail from, Mr. Miller?"

            "Erm… just Jules is fine, Miss Pallet…"

            "And you'll call me Sari, then?"

            "If you'd like."

            "I would." That bright smile again.

            "I live in Fuchsia."

            "Fuchsia! You've come a long way then."

            "Only a day by ride.  Less than a week by foot."

            "Yes, but only if you cut across the bay, which would mean it was mostly by water."

            "Well… originally I went from the bay by boat to Cinnabar."  At least, she assumed so.  That was the quickest route from Fuchsia to Cinnabar, by skirting around Seafoam Isle.

            "Are you heading back so soon?"

            She nodded.  "I've been gone a week already.  Much longer than I said I would."  Another lie… how many was she going to be living on?

            A blush burned under her still tender (but now peeling like dried onions) cheeks at Sari's very obvious disappointment.  "I suppose it cannot be helped. I do hope you'll stay just a little while longer, though. It gets so very quiet around here when Momma and Poppa are out. Mr. Vars is the only one of the staff I'm supposed to speak to."  A ghost of her former smile played across her face. "I do speak with them, though I'm not supposed to, but they and I really don't have that much in common."

            "I... I don't see that we would have much in common, either, M- Sari. I'm fourth-born of a Miller family. Your home seems very grand to me. You don't have any brothers or sisters?"

            "I have a little brother; my parents never but _never_ let Pellie out of their sight, the poor boy! I have six sisters, but they've all married and moved away." Sari reached up to stroke Hera beneath her chin. "I'm old enough to take suitors now, but I haven't yet. I'm in no hurry to leave home."

            "Neither was I."

            "Truly?"

            Julianne cringed. At least she'd said 'was'! "I didn't exactly choose to," she said carefully, even as Xavier stared at her. "But you never know. Some things turn out better than you'd think they would."

            Sari clapped her hands. "Exactly! To be honest, I had been very uncomfortable with Pokémon trainers being in and out of here at all hours when I was little. All those strange men with their strange creatures wandering about made me so nervous! But now that I'm older and of a similar age to most trainers, you do not seem bad at all to me. You're diligent workers who train ever so hard and travel ever so much, that there's nothing more gratifying than the expressions on your faces when you have a warm bed and warm meals to look forward to. Did you not want to start training?"

            Julianne shook her head slowly. She chose each word carefully. "Yes, I did, but my parents did not want me to. I had a long trip to make, and Xavier came to accompany me. But I found myself in trouble, and when Xavier defended me he had to evolve."

            "How terrible! Your parents will be relieved they let Xavier accompany you! My father did not want me to have Hera at first, since Pidgey evolve at such low levels, but I assured him that Hera would only keep me company, and that if I had any trouble, I would have my Weepinbel protect me."

            "Weepinbel are one of the grass types that don't evolve without a crystal, aren't they?"

            "That's right. No one buys jewelry with Grass Crystal decorations anymore; everyone is so afraid of wearing it around their Grass Pokémon."

            That was right! How foolish of her to want a Crystal just for its color! If she'd worn such things too close to her mother's Weepinbel or her sister's Gloom, they might have evolved and had to be taken away. How awful! She thought of her Fire Crystal with a trace of nervousness: Ponyta didn't evolve when exposed to them, did they? No, she was almost certain they evolved from battling. And Vulpix didn't evolve, so she was safe carrying it. She barely kept herself from sighing in relief. It would be hard enough trying to keep Xavier without explaining how she evolved another Pokémon in her care!

            "Jules?"

            Julianne raised her head quickly. "I'm sorry! What did you say?"

            "I asked if your face was hurting you. I'm certain we have some sunburn balm."

            "It looks far worse than it is, really," she assured Sari quickly, feeling a far different burn in her cheeks. "I had a sunburn earlier, when I came to Cinnabar, and bought some balm there. I haven't used all of it yet. I should have enough until I've gotten my face back to normal." _And hands_, she added silently. She had one on each leg; resting one on top of the other tended to overheat the sensitive skin on the back of her lower hand. _Assuming I stop being such a fool and re-burning myself._

            "I'm relieved to hear it."

            Sari was not as happy to hear of her departure. "You're certain you can't stay any longer?" she asked yet again.

            Julianne sighed. Two days more had seen the last of the dead skin peel from her face (if she traveled at night and went immediately to Viridian Township, she could hopefully get a hat before she scorched herself again), but not an end to Sari's pleas for company. It was not that she blamed the girl: the rambling plantation house had only a half dozen servants, none of whom were very talkative and who could easily disappear for hours at a time among the countless rooms.

            "Sari..." She counted her pokéballs one more time; certain now of which four were occupied, she replaced the others in her Tauros-hide pack. If the overland trip dragged on for too long, she could sell them for spending money. She wouldn't chance crossing a long way on water again, especially unprepared. "If your parents promised to come back after a couple days, and two weeks had gone by without word, what would you do?"

            The other girl paled. Hera rustled her wings, cooing in sympathy.  "Oh, that would be awful. Awful! I don't know what I would do. I would be terrified."

            "That is why I have to go home as soon as I can."

            "If Poppa couldn't send a letter by Pidgey, something awful must have happened to strand them someplace."

            Julianne winced. "I'm terrible at letters. My parents wouldn't think it was from me even if I tried to send one ahead."

            "You're right; yes, of course you are right. How horrible of me to try to keep you."

            "It's lonely here. I understand that. I would stay longer if I could, but I can't."

            "I haven't ever felt so comfortable talking to someone before. Sometimes Momma and Poppa have company, who bring their daughters, but I've always found them ever so unbearable. And trainers stay only a day or two; for many of them, I never even learn their names. Are all trainers like you, when you get to know them?"

            Her back to Sari, Julianne wrinkled her nose. So far, all the skilled trainers she knew were Avius, Daleson Thresher, and Vandalus Reaper. And Alexus Mariner, kind of... he hadn't been so bad. "No trainer is exactly like another," she replied vaguely, tying the final strap on her pack. Xavier grabbed up the handles before she could reach for them. "Xavier, no! That's my things!"

            He looked at her mildly, the muscle over one eye arched toward his forehead. "Dab?" he asked, pulling the straps onto one heavy shoulder. _Why not?_ he wanted to know.

            "Because that's my stuff, Xavier. You can't carry it."

            "Dab?" _Why not?_

            "Because I'll be riding the Ponyta. You will be in your 'ball."

            His eyes narrowed reproachfully. "Ra?" _I will?_

            "Of course you will."

            "Bra da kadabra?" _Who will carry it, then?_

            "I'll wear it as I ride."

            "You can't wear such a thing while riding!" Sari interrupted, making both jump. "Your shoulders will never forgive you. Don't you have any saddlebags?"

            Julianne smiled weakly. "No. I don't even have a saddle."

            "How trained is your mount? Would it hold still to have your pack lashed to it?"

            "I... don't really know..." She didn't even know if her Ponyta was trained for riding. Had it been trained at all? _Why didn't you ask!_ She resisted the urge to slap herself in the forehead. Bad enough trying to ride straddle bareback - two things she had never done before - but if the Ponyta didn't know how to carry _any_ rider, the results were going to be more painful than she imagined. "I got a Ponyta the day before I left. I haven't had much time with it yet."

            "Oh dear. I hope it is gentle."

            _So do I!_ "Will have to see!" Julianne tried to sound cheerful. "He can't be more stubborn than Runt, and she's nice enough." _But if I fell off Runt, the water wouldn't hurt near as much as if the Ponyta bucks me off..._

            No! She couldn't think that way! _That Ponyta is how I am getting home. Even if it is as stubborn as Runt, _I_ can be more stubborn still!_ Her mouth twitching toward a frown, Julianne rubbed the top of Xavier's head like she had when he was just an Abra. "Okay, Xavier. Since the Ponyta isn't used to me, you can carry the pack for now. But you let me know the instant you get tired. Understand?"

            "Da." _Of course._

            "Good."

            They headed outside, Sari following at their heels. "Are you going to continue to train?" she asked. "Perhaps you will be in the area again. You are free to come whenever you like."

            "Thank you, but-" How could she explain? Ah! "My elder brother was allowed to train Pokémon. Even with Xavier's evolution, I doubt they will allow me to as well. They hope I will do something more traditional with my life." _Listen to yourself. How dare you talk to Sari like that, molding the truth that way?_ Her face burned with humiliation. _Be quiet, Julianne. Do not make it worse._

            "Oh... well, I understand. If ever you are in the area again, you are still most welcome. And your brother would be as well, of course."

            "Thank you, Sari."

            "Thank _you_, Jules. I know you did not mean to stay so long, but I was glad you did."

            Her admiration of the Ponyta had waned some with the concern over how well he took a new rider. Though he had been trained enough to bend down on one knee to help her mount, once he was on his feet he seemed annoyed at her inexperience. There were no handholds: his mane, though not hot, was as good as intangible. She rested her hands on either side of his neck for balance, but did not trust that to work for anything faster than a slow trot. He quivered constantly under her touch, occasionally pawing at the ground as he walked.

            An hour from the borders of the plantation, Julianne's legs were aching from trying to keep her seat. Worse, it felt like they'd gone almost no where. And if anything, the Ponyta was even less happy. "What's wrong?" she asked him, rubbing his neck. The Ponyta snorted in reply, shaking his head as he stamped his foot again.

            "Dab?" Xavier tried. The Ponyta whinnied loudly, snorting again. "Da... kada bra." An odd trill from the Ponyta. Xavier tugged on Julianne's pantleg. "Ka?"

            "What is it? What did it say?"

            "Ka da bra."

            " 'It wants'... what was the rest of it?"

            "Da. Brad da ka."

            That made sense. "Oh! I don't think I can stay on for that, I haven't any reins. If you let me down you can." The Ponyta tilted his head to look at her, clicking his teeth together. "I don't mind, really." The Ponyta tossed his head slightly, ears tilting to face forward for the first time. He knelt carefully, letting her slide from his back. "Just don't - whoa!" Julianne nearly fell over completely, only to be caught by her elbow. "Oh, thanks, Xavier. My legs are made of clay!" She smiled weakly. "Go on," she told the Ponyta. "Don't get too far though, please." The horse snorted, nudging her with his nose.

            Then bolted down the road.

            "Poor thing," Julianne said. "I didn't even think. He's been in his 'ball for over a week now. Uli too!" She snatched the red apricorn ball from her belt. "I'm so sorry, Uli! Come out, please!" The pokéball popped open eagerly, releasing the five-tailed Vulpix at her feet. Uli shook himself off, stretching out his front feet as he yawned.  "How are you feeling? You must be starved!"

            "Vul?" Uli looked at her, his head tilted to the side. He did not seem to understand.

            "I guess time doesn't pass quite the same in a pokéball," Julianne mused. "Maybe the Ponyta hadn't been exercised well before the Fireleaf." She started walking after the Ponyta, feeling her knees wobble with each step. "Ooooh. How do people stand riding all day?" she wondered aloud. "It hasn't been four hours and I feel ready to give up. I don't know if there will be someplace in Viridian to buy tacking. I don't know how much that's going to help me, either! Ow..." Unable to take another step, she moved to the side of the road. Sitting was not an option, either. Julianne eased herself to the ground, lying on her side. "Ahhhh. Wish I could learn Recover, too!"

            "Dab," Xavier agreed, sitting beside her. He shrugged out of their pack of supplies. He unbuckled the straps, rummaging through it until he found a stick of jerky. He held it out to her.

            "Not now," Julianne told him, closing her eyes. "Let Uli have it."

            "Ka ked ah?"

            "The-? Ah!" Julianne sat up quickly. "The Ponyta!" She dragged herself to her feet. "I told him not to go too far - why did I even agree to let him run when I can't see him? Augh!" Julianne laced her fingers through her hair. What a mess this was! What if the Ponyta didn't come back? She'd have to walk the rest of the way - that would take weeks! It was already going to be well over another week at the rate she was going! "I'm never getting home!" she cried, dropping to the ground beside her pack.

            Xavier looked away. "Ah?" He reached over to tap her shoulder. "Ah ha!"

            "Do you hear something?" Julianne closed her eyes. Yes - the beat of hooves! "Thank goodness! But-" She bit her lip. "But that's the way we came! Did he go around?" Or was someone else coming up the road? _Hide!_ her instincts wailed. "Wait - _why_?" Julianne asked herself. Xavier regarded her curiously. "I'm fine," she told him. _There is nothing to be afraid of. I look like a scruffy country boy with his Kadabra. The worst that could happen is if some stranger coming up from the coast tries to ask me directions._ Despite her self-assurances, Julianne still felt nervous. Giddy, almost. _There is no one who would know me except Sari._

            The owner of the hooves came into view a few moments later, and at once Julianne knew it was not her Ponyta. Though the body type was nearly identical, the creature was far too large and fragile. If she squinted, she thought she could see something like a third ear on its forehead. _That must be an evolution of Ponyta. It looks far too much like one._ Ponyta were not native to the mainland, so it was rare to see them. There were more than enough local creatures that could as easily pull plows or provide transport, to require importing the horses from Cinnabar. A pair of Dotrio had provided well enough for the mill in years past.

            The horse Pokémon continued to approach, and Julianne could now see the rider on its back. He was fortunate enough to have full tacking, unlike her: bridle and reins, saddle and stirrups, saddlebags... there was even a bedroll tied to one side. _What a brave fellow,_ she thought. _Imagine, sleeping outside!_ Avius didn't dare go away to training unless a proven shelter was provided. Wild Pokémon were everywhere! How would one protect their belongings - their food, especially! What would keep some starving creature from making a camper their meal? Julianne shuddered at the thought.

            The rider seemed suited to the saddle, apparently someone of many years' experience. He seemed tall, though that could have been an illusion created from Julianne's position on the ground. His hair was the color of tar: though obviously lacking the coat of oil Julianne's brothers and father used to tame theirs, it fell neatly past his shoulders in an all-too-familiar bobbed cut. Close to half the men of Cinnabar had worn their hair the same way, just long enough to tie back. There, too, dark hair seemed to be the norm.

            _Of course it would be a Cinnabaran_, Julianne told herself. _A Cinnabaran would have an evolved Ponyta._ But her stomach continued to knot itself. A little voice inside her kept saying to hide, hide! _It's too late to hide, even if there was reason to. He would see me run._ _There isn't reason to r- oh dear goodness, no!_

            Despite two layers of sunburn on her cheeks, Julianne could feel every flake of color fade out of her face as the rider drew nearer. Most any boy of Cinnabar could have the same dark, bobbed hair, the same sun-wizened skin, the same ease in a fire Pokémon's saddle.

            But she was certain there was only one boy with those eerily amber eyes.

            _Oh, no, please don't be him, please do not be-_

            The Cinnabaran was twenty feet away before he took notice of her, fifteen before he raised his hand in greeting. "Ahoy! Is that you, mainlander?"

            _-Alex!_


	6. To Veridian

"That _is _you! Jules Miller!"

Julianne's face burned with a vengeance. _I should have grabbed Xavier's hand and Teleported as far as we could go,_ she thought bitterly. _What is Alexus doing? Is he following me?_

"Meowth got your tongue, Miller?" The dark-haired Cinnabaran boy tugged back on the reins of his horse Pokémon, coming to a stop a few feet away. "What're you up to, sitting about like that?"

Julianne forced herself to sit straighter. She took comfort from the fact that Xavier _was_ there - that she was not completely alone. "Just resting while my Ponyta... uh, scouts ahead," she replied.

"Not a rider, are you?"

_Especially if my mount doesn't come back._ "Not really," she admitted. "I just put in my first four hours. Maybe my last, too." Alexus winced sympathetically. "At least until I get some proper equipment," Julianne corrected herself.

"Barebacking?" Alexus laughed. He swung one leg over, sitting sidesaddle for a moment before sliding to the ground. "You fell off, didn't you!"

"I did not!" she retorted. "The Ponyta wanted to run, but I couldn't let it or I _would_ fall off. So I said it could run a bit if it came right back..." Which it hadn't. Julianne felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes, and hoped desperately that they didn't become visible. _Such a fool, such a fool you are, Julianne_, she scolded herself.

"They're like that," Alexus agreed. He patted his Pokémon on the neck, giving it an affectionate smile. "Go on, Rapidash. You can go see what that colt's up to." The horse snorted. Rather than a smooth forehead, a sharp horn stood proudly before its forward-facing ears. Its coat was grayer than that of Julianne's Ponyta, as if it had recently rolled in a fireplace, and its mane and tail burned short. But when it broke into a brisk trot, the saddle and supplies did not seem to weigh it down in the least. It held its head high, its deep crimson eyes clear and focused on the path ahead.

"My Da evolved Rapidash when I was little," Alexus said, startling Julianne out of her musings. "She isn't sick at all, just getting older. No good for battle anymore, but a good mount. How's your Ponyta?"

Hadn't she just said she didn't know how to ride? How was she supposed to know how good he was? "Patient," she replied weakly.

"Ha! He's a young one, so that's a good trait in him." Alexus collapsed beside her. He smelled of sweat, both horse and human, but not overpoweringly so.

"W-" He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. Julianne tried not to stutter again. "Why are you here, Alexus? On the mainland, I mean."

"Alex," he reminded her. "It's Uncle Gelain's fault, really."

Gelain? She didn't remember the innkeeper mentioning a brother named- _don't be stupid, Julianne_, she scolded herself. _Gelasia would have been named for her father, same as any girl is._ "The innkeeper? What did he do?"

"That old bum of an apothecary took a second apprentice, some twit son of his niece." Alexus turned his head to spit into the grass. His brow had drawn down, shadowing his amber eyes to a brooding brown. "Was probably goin' to cut me loose, so I cut out before he could get me first. When he heard it, Uncle Gelain sat me down and put two gold rounds in front of me.

"'Alex,' he tells me, 'I've 'bout had all I c'n stand o' you about here. Y'r not goin' t' be any 'pothe'cary, y'r not goin' t' be any fishermen neither. There's one thing you do, and it's 'bout time you started on it.'"

Alex sighed slowly, leaning back on his elbows. His eyes studied the toggles of his doublet. "I'm no grand trainer, mind you," he said. "Took me all my training years to catch what I did."

"Gelasia was very happy to list them." Julianne smiled. "It sounds as if you did very well."

"Bah." Alex shrugged, momentarily sinking between his shoulders. "Real trainers are supposed to catch what they can, raise them to their best, breed what they have if they think a brood will be stronger than the parents. I couldn't keep more then one of each. Never caught myself a Ponyta; couldn't have afforded another horse about. Feeding the rest was trial enough!"

"Gelasia said you had a Ponyta," Julianne said.

"Must've confused Rapidash for one. She's none too bright on Pokémon. Most girls are that way - can't train 'em so they don't bother learning about 'em."

Julianne chose not to take offense at that remark. She knew she was pretty clueless about Pokémon, too, at least compared to an actual trainer, like Alex. "There's something to be said about just raising one of everything," Julianne protested. "You become more familiar with it, so you can teach them to overcome their weaknesses instead of having to switch Pokémon. If you put more effort into the one, it would rise to a higher level than if you were trying to train a bunch of them at once."

"There's that," Alex allowed. "But if you catch a real low-level one, that's the end-all of it. It takes years to train it to fight."

"What's wrong with that? How long have you been training?"

"Six years, but-"

Julianne's voice broke. "Six? You're sixteen?" _He must be. His hair is shorn and loose._ Of all men, only bachelors wore their hair untied, a symbol of their freedom to marry. It was the same for women and maidens. Julianne had worn her hair loose for almost three years, since her eleventh birthday, though only uncivilized people had their daughters marry before their thirteenth year. _He must have had his hair shorn short on his birthday, when he reached marriageable age. That's what Julius did. _Julianne's bound hair marked her as too young for such considerations, which was just fine for her. She wouldn't pass for a bachelor-age boy even if she wanted to - which she most certainly did not! But Alex didn't pass easily for one, either. _It's because he's so thin and gangly. He's still a gawky boy, just an older one than he looks._ "But what?" she recovered.

Alex sighed. "But nothin'. Rapidash is back with your colt."

So it was. The older, evolved horse towered over the Ponyta; Julianne's Pokémon only came to the shoulder of Alex's. _It must have been even more beautiful when its mane and tail were full_, Julianne thought. _Are Rapidash white like Ponyta, or do they turn that gray color?_ She dared not ask, and reveal her ignorance. She was supposed to be as much a Pokémon trainer as Alex was. Being younger didn't matter... or that she'd never seen a Rapidash up close before. _Yes it does, Julianne! Rapidash aren't native to the mainland. You wouldn't have been training as long as he has, so you might easily have missed seeing one until now._ "Are all Rapidash gray?"

"Nah. That's just 'cause mine's old."

Alex didn't sound the least bit condescending. Julianne was relieved. "Oh." She watched as the older horse nuzzled the younger. It made her smile. "Where do you plan to go, Alex?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I'll be camping out, mostly. Living like a tramp, that's what trainers do."

"Living outside," she said, her eyes settling on the bedroll attached to Rapidash's saddle. "Aren't you afraid?"

"What? Afraid? You call yourself a trainer!" Alex laughed.

_No_, Julianne thought. She never had. Hadn't she pointed that out to him already?

"What trainer can afford to sleep in hostels every night?" Alex asked. "I camped a week at a time back home. When I was eleven I spent all of summer out by the volcanoes. I slept during the day, to avoid feeling the real heat."

"Have you ever been attacked by wild Pokémon while you slept?"

"Oh, sure. But my Pokémon sit watch for me. On Cinnabar, I'd have my water types sit out, since most of the wild ones there are ground or fire. Here I'll likely switch more, since there's more types around. But they'd wake me if there was trouble coming."

"Oh." An excellent strategy. She would have to point it out to Avius, that he might be around less to annoy her.

"You're from Fuchsia, right?"

Julianne felt her blood run cold at the question. "Near there," she answered quietly.

"And a miller's son." Julianne looked away from Alex, that he would not see how pale she had become. "You're heading home, aren't you? If I'm in the area, maybe I'll stop in. It's nice to know someone here."

Xavier was looking at her worriedly. How light could she look, with so many layers of sunburn stained into her skin? Maybe it was how she was gnawing her lip that gave away her discomfort, or Alex's words were enough to worry the Kadabra, too. "Perhaps." She tried to sound as uninviting as possible. _Everything was fine until he brought _that_ up!_

He sat up a little straighter. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing..." ..._except if you come to my father's house asking for a boy named Jules! If he found out it was me - we're not even supposed to talk like this unless he approves it first. _And how close they were sitting! A fresh blush burned through Julianne's previously paled face. _This is the second time we've been this close. He kept touching my shoulder and back while we were waiting our turn at the tournament._ She would _never_ mention that to her family. Just sharing a bench with men was a mark of a dishonorable woman. _Oh goodness. I did that at the tournament, too!_ She hadn't even thought of it - just that sitting down might make her less noticeable. _Being in that tournament was the worst thing I've ever done_, she mourned. _That's how I got the Ponyta - but I could have as easily bought one with the thieves' money. I didn't just break legal law, but every rule of etiquette, too!_ Julianne drew up her knees, resting her forehead on them. _I have to go home before I become a complete loss. But if I go home, Alex might show up at any time!_

"Do you _want_ to go home?"

_Yes! No!_ She wanted to. Needed to! She would be a girl again, dress in her own clothes and sleep on her own couch and regain the chance to grow up into a respected, honorable woman with a home and family of her own. But she didn't want to, not if it meant giving up Xavier and probably Runt and her colt- her Ponyta, too. Even Uli might be taken from her if Avius wanted him badly enough. She wanted to learn more, to try battling more, to train and raise her own Pokémon, to be familiar with them in every way, raise them to higher levels and make them evolve and-

"I don't know," she muttered bitterly. She raised her eyes, staring at the road running before them. "I mean... I don't," she told him, admitting it to herself for the first time. "But I have to."

Alex was sitting up now; he rested his hand on her shoulder. _What would he do_, she wondered, _if he knew he had so often touched a girl old enough to be his wife?_ "Because your parents let your brother train and not you?" he asked.

_That's what all law-abiding parents do._ "Kind of." His hand slid to the ground beside her. He let the silence stretch. The horses were grazing together, not far away. Julianne idly wondered if her Ponyta had been taken from his mother early: he stood beside Alex's old mare, his flank barely touching hers.

"My P'pa got me the apprenticeship with the apothecary," Alex said finally. "I'm not a very good fisherman, so he worked it out with the old man. After P'pa died, I worked for all I was worth to help Ma out. I don't know what P'pa'd say if he knew I'd given up on it."

"But you said he had a related apprentice now," Julianne said, not certain what Alex's point was. "That he was probably going to let you go anyhow."

"He might not have. But Uncle Gelain set me straight. I wasn't going to be much of an apothecary, either. So now I'll be trying to train full time, instead of when the apothecary doesn't need me." Julianne knew anything she tried to say would sound rude, so she remained quiet. "What I mean is, P'pa tried to choose something for me that he thought would work out. But it didn't. Maybe what your folks have planned isn't the best thing for you, either."

Julianne looked at him. _That is the most awful, stupid thing I have ever heard._ It was all the worse, that it would likely have been true - if she wasn't a girl. Even if she'd been born a boy, Poppa wouldn't have stood for two Pokémon trainers in the family. It was too haphazard of an occupation - and with Avius' habits, much too expensive.

"You have to go more north before you head east, don't you?" Alex asked. Julianne nodded mutely. "I want to go to Viridian Township to get some supplies, and into Viridian Forest to try to catch some Pokémon."

"I have to go north, then northeast while in the forest," Julianne muttered. "When I get out of the forest I go east to the coast. I'd need to follow that to get home."

"All right then. Listen here." She looked at him skeptically. "We can head on to Viridian Township, and through the forest." _We_, Julianne echoed silently. _There can't be any we, you foolish boy. You have no idea what you're saying._ "We can both be trainers 'til then, catching what we want and training best as we can. Tch!" he said, before she could interrupt. "When we get out of the forest, if you decide training isn't right for you, then you can drop it and go on home. I'll take whatever Pokémon you can't keep, if you don't want to release them."

_You can't travel with a boy!_ reason screamed at her. _If you have to be rude, you _have_ to dismiss him! Immediately! NOW! When you get home, you can explain to Poppa about the disguise, about how Alexus met you as the apothecary's apprentice - mention nothing of his acting too familiar around you - then it will be all right, Poppa will send him on his way if he comes to the mill. That is the right way. That is what you have to do! Do it! DO IT, Julianne!!_

"Would you even take Runt?" she asked quietly.

"Which?"

Julianne bit her lip. _You're being an idiot, a dunce, a fool! Fool! Fool! Fool!_ her mind taunted her. "My Lapras. All that's near my house is a narrow little river. She wouldn't be happy there. But you already have water-types, like your Tentacool..."

"Y-you'd give away your Lapras?" Alex stammered. "The one you used in the tournament?"

"I'd have to. I could only give her to my brother if I went home. I couldn't do that to her."

"I'd gladly have her!" Alex declared. "From what I've seen, she's a great Pokémon. And if it's how much of a type I've got that you're worried about, remember that she's not just a water-type. She's an ice-type, and I haven't got any of those."

That ice attack Runt used in the tournament... so Lapras had a secondary type, just like Poliwrath did. Did all water types have a secondary type as well? _Ice melts in heat_, she thought to herself. _Does that mean Runt wouldn't be as immune to fire attacks as a normal water-type?_

She shouldn't accept Alex's offer, she knew that quite well. It was based on logic that didn't apply to her, and meant continuing to flout basic decency and breaking Imperial law. "A...all right."

If Runt could be happy, she would risk a few days in Alex's company. _I don't actually have to _catch_ anything..._ She hadn't caught any of her Pokémon, anyhow! Xavier had been found in her mother's garden, and Catcher had been born there. Uli had been the only one she couldn't release from the poacher's hoard, Runt had been bought, and colt- the Ponyta! - had been won. _If I don't catch anything, there won't be any proof that I _can _catch anything_. Julianne gratefully took a small measure of comfort from that, as she looked up at the sky with a grimace. _I need the comfort,_ she thought with despair. _There's no way we'll get to Viridian Township before nightfall, and it's not going to be very comfortable sleeping out here without any gear._

It looked like she was going to need a lot more than just tacking.

Tacking, saddlebags, food, flint to start a fire, a bedroll, a leather blanket cured to keep out rain, a proper pokéball belt, a jerkin that wasn't so long as the doublet she had been making due with (but with a bulky inner lining that helped pad her front to an even flatness)... Julianne spent an entire gold round in Viridian, much to the happiness of the local merchants. Alex was awestruck, especially when she used the coppers remaining from it to purchase them separate rooms at an inn. "Does your p'pa mill gold, mainlander?" he asked her once.

"Of course not," she retorted, but could not tell him why she carried so much money. It would reveal far too much. Slave traders would not steal a thirteen-year-old boy near as quickly as they would a girl of similar age. She didn't want to lie again, either. So she said nothing, though she desperately wanted to explain, to be able to trust him as he did her.


	7. To the Forest

The next day dawned hot and close, thunderheads looming over the northern mountains. "It'll get us before nightfall," Julianne predicted unhappily. "It could last a full day."

"That's not so bad," Alexus replied. Julianne was certain they looked ridiculous - Alex was nigh a foot taller than she, and his horse far taller than hers. Riding side by side, her head barely came up to his waist. "Rain dampens smells as much as it does everything else. The Pokémon won't notice us as quickly, s'long as we stay quiet. How's your stealth, mainlander?"

"Stealth?" Julianne echoed. "I doubt I have any."

"Suppose that means you won't be getting any quiet ones - just the ornery, feisty ones," he continued. "They like to battle more, but they're harder to train."

_Like Runt_, Julianne thought. "Do you have many like that?"

"One of my Growlithe, but I left them behind. They like M'ma better'n me anyhow. Tentacool can be stubborn, but it's getting better. Getting used to me, I guess."

"I wonder if-" Julianne stopped herself.

"If what?"

"Well... if Runt would stay stubborn, or if she could get used to me. If I kept training."

"She'll always be stubborn, but that doesn't mean she won't get used to you," Alex said. "Pokémon need to learn to trust their trainers, just as much as they need to learn how to battle properly. Just because you overpower one to catch it, doesn't mean it respects that. Might even hold a grudge. Had a Geodude like that - had to let it go. Some just can't be trained, you know. They stay wild."

"I don't have any wild Pokémon," Julianne said. "All of mine were bred from tame Pokémon - Catcher from my mother's, Runt from Sanulus' Lapras, Colt from the breeders on Cinnabar." She had given up not using Alex's nickname for her newest Pokémon. The Ponyta didn't seem to mind. "I don't really know about Uli, but he doesn't act wild at all." She looked to her left. Xavier was walking quietly on that side, Alex riding to her right. Though most of her belongings had been put into saddlebags, Xavier carried her bedroll and a few other supplies. "I suppose you were wild, though, Xavier."

The Kabadra shrugged. His reply was light-hearted, and heartfelt. "What did he say?" Alex asked.

"He said that some wild Pokémon look forward to being tamed," she replied. "It does make sense, doesn't it? They don't have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, or finding shelter if it rains. Though I suppose we do have to do that today." Xavier chuckled, untroubled by the weakness of her argument.

"Wild Pokémon can get pretty strong, but trained Pokémon get even stronger," Alex said. "Most wild Pokémon rely on the same attacks and the same strategies to help them in a fight. I guess some would like to learn to use more attacks, more strategies, that a trainer can teach them. To become stronger."

"Ah, da ba bra."

"Huh?"

"Being wild gets lonesome, sometimes," Julianne translated. She waited for Xavier to finish speaking before she continued. "Some Pokémon live in colonies, but others don't. The ones that don't have more worries - food, water, shelter, yes, but also company." She smiled down at her Pokémon. "I found Xavier in my mother's garden. He says he was there so he could hear us talking, to pretend someone was speaking to him."

"He is pretty quiet for a wild Pokémon," Alex admitted.

"He certainly isn't wild now," Julianne countered.

"Wild-born, I mean."

"Ah."

They rode in silence. Julianne's legs were started to chafe against the straps of her saddle, but she remained silent. She was growing used to the ache in her back and thighs.

"Heyo."

"Hmm?" Julianne looked up at Alex. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I was just going to ask, how long did it take you to learn to understand Xavier? Sounds like he's got a pretty big vocabulary."

"Oh, he does." It seemed even bigger now, with the "_k_" and "_d_" sounds coloring some of his words, like an accent he had developed overnight. "It took me a year, I think. After a while, the actual sounds they use don't matter. It's all in the infliction."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Lots of Pokémon are that way. I think that's why they understand each other most of the time."

"It's going to take me a while with Colt and Runt, though. They talk in whinnies."

"Uli should be able to help with Colt, at least. Pokémon of a type usually understand one another."

"That's what I've seen, in my mother's garden. The plant Pokémon all seem to speak the same language, though technically they don't."

"I doubt it's exactly the same, but the basics are. Enough to understand, if not word-for-word."

"Hmm." Julianne was trying hard not to smile. How easy this was! It felt like they could speak for days like this.

_How hard it would be, if he knew_, she reminded herself. Her urge to smile died with a sigh. _I can't do this,_ she reminded herself. _I'm making Alex into an accomplice. That isn't fair to him at all. I have to go home._

_ I don't want to._

_ I have to._

They entered the woods shortly after leaving the city. As Julianne predicted, the rain was upon them before sunset; the still Spring-thin foliage did little to protect them. Julianne put Uli back into his pokéball to keep him out of the mud. Colt didn't like the turn of the weather at all; he held his ears flat to his head, his flares of mane and tail sizzling each time they were struck. Alex's Rapidash did not seem at all inconvenienced. "Your Colt must not have been water-conditioned," Alex said. "Probably kept in a fancy stable where he didn't have to stand in the rain. Some people think that's important for a fire-type, but not me. If they can't stand a little rain, then they really won't stand water attacks. Bad enough they already have the weakness without encouraging it!"

"Right," Julianne agreed. Even with her cured blanket over her head, she felt just as miserable as Colt did. The rain felt hot and oily, one of those heavy summer downpours that did nothing to ease the already uncomfortable heat.

Xavier had the least to complain about. He kept a small Light Screen held over his head to keep himself dry, though his feet had been soaked through. He was not strong enough to hold the 'Screen for them all. He had apologized to Colt, who merely snorted in reply. If they hadn't needed to carry Colt's heavy tacking, Julianne would have returned him to his pokéball.

"Don't fret," Alex said suddenly. "There's supposed to be a Pokémon Tower somewhere in the woods here. The Emperor keeps them stocked, so we might get a free night's sleep in the dry."

A Pokémon Tower? Under her heavy blanket, Julianne shuddered. Avius had stayed in Pokémon Towers before, and loathed the experience. "They're old, dusty, creepy, cold - in a word, awful!" he ranted. It mattered not that it was the cheapest place to send him if he wanted to go out to train. Like the Pallet's plantation, Towers would house trainers for a day or two, giving their Pokémon time to rest and heal. Trainers could also board there for weeks at a time, as Avius had done, for a modest donation, be it in money or in volunteered time. For Avius, it had always been by coin, as he wanted to spend as much time as possible in training.

"Have you ever stayed in a Tower, Alex?" she asked.

"Aw, sure. We have one at home, though it's on the opposite side of the island as the town. My master the apothecary sent me there to study sometimes. The healers at the Towers specialize in Pokémon medicine, but some things can go for us _or_ them."

"My brother has stayed at a few, here on the mainland. He's always hated it."

"The one on the island's not so bad. Kind of bare. Food's plain and the beds are sometimes musty, but you can't complain. They heal your Pokémon without charging you for it and give you a roof over your head besides."

He had a point. "Better than sleeping outside, especially in weather like this."

"Sleeping outside isn't so bad," Alex argued. "No such thing as flat ground, sure, so the 'bed' has always got a lump or two somewhere... sure, in this kind of wet, it's little fun. Didn't have this kind of rain very often on Cinnabar." He turned his face up, letting the hood of his cured cloak fall back. He smiled a bit as the rain dripped down on him from the tree branches above. "Is it common on the mainland?"

"They come and go all summer." She frowned at him. "Put your hood back up before you take a chill. You're certain to, especially if you're not used to this kind of rain."

"Why? Does it carry something that Cinnabaran rains don't? Don't be a priss, Jules. It'll help get the salt off me, if nothing else."

"Salt?" In her discomfort and indecision, Julianne had never taken into account that Alex had yet to bathe since he'd left home. It wasn't uncommon for people of his sort to go a season or more without such provisions, but the thought made Julianne want to shudder. _He's probably used to going even longer, unless Cinnabarans bathe in salt water. They wouldn't have the fresh water to spare, especially in the summer._ She was accustomed to washing her hair on a weekly basis, the rest of her whenever she felt dirty. She wasn't certain whether to be disgusted or envious. How much simpler his life seemed! "You did not stop at the Pallet's plantation?"

"Naw. What for? I have all the supplies me and Rapidash can carry." He lowered his head, to better hide his face. "'Sides, I was so green when I got across it wasn't a bit funny."

"Oh, yes." In spite of the rain and how rude doing it would be, Julianne was tempted to smile. "Gelasia mentioned you get seasick."

"Embarrassing as anything - a Mariner with no sea legs!" Alex groaned. Julianne laughed in spite of herself. She covered her mouth in an effort to stifle it, hoping to apologize once she trusted herself to speak. But Alex spoke first. "That's right! Laugh at me!" he cried, obviously joking. "Laugh at the end of this particular Mariner line. Only thing 'mariner' about me is I'm island-born. I don't know rope from rigging or sails from sheets."

"How did you stand crossing to mainland?"

"By lying down," he quipped. "If not for the nastier Pokémon to be found in the ocean, I'd have just held on to Tentacool for the trip. You have a nice, big water Pokémon you made the crossing on."

Julianne flushed. "I did far worse by it," she admitted. Briefly she told him of her own trip across the waters between Cinnabar and Kanto.

Alex didn't speak immediately. "No wonder you weren't long gone by the time I got to shore," he said at last. "And a fine bit of luck that was, too, in its way. It's kind of jarring, you know - I can't hear the sea anymore. That's always been a weird thing to me. Most anywhere in Cinnabar, even at the edges of the wastes, you can still hear it all around you. Having somebody familiar with me... I know it wasn't intentional, but I do appreciate it."

His candidness surprised her. She felt salt stinging her eyes as she bit her tongue. It was so tempting to speak as loosely as he did! _I did, for a moment_, she realized. _By telling him about my crossing. But I just wanted him to feel better about getting sick. _Just as he didn't want her to feel bad about being foolish, she realized. As if the lapse of judgment could be explained as a twist of fate. _It's my turn_, she thought. So she told him more of Avius, and he told her about his sisters, then she spoke of hers... they laughed at how both had four siblings, of the similarities and differences between being youngest, and being second youngest. Though the rain fell harder than ever, cutting through the thick branches overhead, a different sort of pall had been lifted.


End file.
